Wednesday 30 June 2021

The Samsung Galaxy A12. A great budget phone.

About 7 years ago I got a Samsung Galaxy S5 and have always said when I got a new phone I would get another Samsung one. It has served me well and the only reason that I replaced it was that some apps were no longer being updated for it's operating system.

Stu has been looking for a new phone for me for a few months and came across the Samsung Galaxy A12 in Argos. He had planned to get it in a few months but saw it on offer for £149.99 which he thought was a great price. I wasn't going to argue.

The Samsung Galaxy A12 in the box

Tap into an unforgettable viewing experience with Galaxy A Series. Large screens, rich colours, and uninterrupted Infinity displays, you'll be fully immersed in your gaming and streaming, wherever you go. And if you're big on snapping photos and capturing the moment, Galaxy A series has you covered there too. Shoot jaw-dropping pics with a tap, thanks to multiple cameras and angles. Plus, with easy-to-use image controls, you can make every pic Insta-worthy in just a few taps.

With a screen of 6,5 inches it is a lot lager than my old phone and it took a bit of getting used to but now it just feels normal.

Display:
6.5 inch TFT LCD display.
Resolution 720 x 1600 pixels.
With a density of 269 pixels per inch.
Touch screen.
Toughened glass.

Dimensions:
Size H164, W75.8, D8.9mm.
Weight 205g.

The Samsung Galaxy A12

This phone came as Sim free which means you can use any nano sim card in it no matter what network you are on. I thought it was going to be straightforward putting my sim card from my old phone into it but technology has changed in the last 8 years since I got my sim and I had to order a new one with O2 and get my number transferred. While I was putting my sim card in I noticed that this phone has Dual Sim which means it can support 2 sim cards simultaneously. This phone also has a 4G network capability.

What I struggled with on my old phone was storage and space for everything that I wanted on it. This has an internal memory of 64GB and an expandable memory of up to 64GB when using the microSD card slot. I can actually have music on my phone now and at the moment have only used 36% of the storage available.

Technical specifications:
2.3GHz octa core MediaTek processor.
4GB RAM.
Operating system: Android One UI Core 2.5.
App store compatibility: Google play store.

Samsung Galaxy A12

Soon after getting this phone I realised I wasn't having to charge it as often. In fact I went from charging my old phone 2 or 3 times a day to just charging this one once every couple of days at the most. I play a game called Township, a farming type game and it is pretty heavy on the battery use but I can't tell on this phone. A few weeks ago I went into town took a few photos, used the internet while connected to free wi-fi, made a 10 minute phone call and the battery was still at 100% when I got home.

Battery:
Up to 2040 minutes talk time.
5000mAh battery capacity.

What I was excited about was the camera. I thought the camera on my old phone was good enough but it really wasn't compared to my new phone. I've gone from using a 16mp camera to a 48mp one and I can really see the difference! The selfie camera on my new phone takes photos just as good as my rear camera on my old phone. lol

Camera on Samsung Galaxy A12
Camera settings Samsung Galaxy A12

Camera and Video:
Dual camera.
Front camera 8MP.
Rear camera 48MP.
Second rear camera 5MP.
LED.

Camera features:
Food mode , Live Focus, Panorama, Photo, Pro.
Video capture in 1080p HD quality.

Photo settings Samsung Galaxy A12

I haven't tried out half of the settings with the camera, the one I was most drawn to was the Macro. I've heard people mention macro shots and I am obsessed with taking them. It's the perfect time with everything growing in the garden. I don't like to brag but I am so happy with some of the photos that I have been taking lately. You can see lots of my photos over on my Instagram.

Flower photos taken with my new phone

Other features include:
MP3 and MP4 player.
Headphone port.
Fast charge technology - faster than standard charging, for when time is of the essence.
Contactless payment Link up your card to your phone for easy buying.
Fingerprint scanner For simple, safe and speedy unlocking and better security.

I have set the fingerprint scanner but just on my bank account and it works like a dream. It is quicker to log in on my phone than use the online website. It did make me nervous setting it up to unlock my phone though. I had a thought what would happen if anything happened to me, nobody could get into my phone without my thumb. At least with just a code they can, if needed.

I really do love this phone, the Samsung Galaxy A12. I didn't realise how much I needed a new phone until I got one. It was easy to set up. It is a fantastic phone for the price and would recommend. It has done everything that I have asked of it with no issues.

The only minor complaint I have is that the headphone port is at the bottom of the phone which isn't great for when I am laid in bed trying to watch Instagram or TikTok. I know, I shouldn't be using my phone in bed but on my old phone the port was at the top and out of the way. I can see me going through quite a few sets of headphones with the wires being bent.

The only thing I would say is that I upgraded from a 7 year old phone so I can see a difference in the speed, camera quality and all of the features which weren't on my old phone. If you were upgrading from a newer phone you might not see much of a difference. It would be a great first phone for someone starting secondary school or someone who has an old phone.

When did you last get a new phone?

Tuesday 29 June 2021

Our 2021 summer bucket list!

 Last summer as a family we didn't really get up to much. We weren't mixing with many people, we didn't eat out to help out, there were no days out and to be honest I can't really remember what we did. It wasn't a bad summer, it was just an unmemorable one.


This year I want it to be different and I want it to be special. It's going to be Becky's last real summer break because this time next year she will have left college and hopefully will have a job.

At the moment we don't have any big plans. We won't be going away on holiday but we will be having some days out. I want to make some memories. I am going to keep things simple and not put too much pressure on us. No doubt the kids will be off some of the time with their friends and we of course will want to spend some time with my dad and his partner.

The top things that I want to do this summer is:

Have a barbecue.
Paddle in the sea.
Sit in the garden and drink cocktails/mocktails.
Have a water fight.
Go swimming.
Sunbathe in the back garden.
Have a picnic in a park.
Go to the cinema.
Have a meal or two out.
Sit outside and watch the sun set.
Go fruit picking.
Organise all of the photos we have on the computers.
Paint the shed and garage.
Go and eat at McDonalds.
Have an afternoon tea.
Find a fairground and go to it.
Visit a tourist attraction that we've never been to in our own town.
Have a pint of something in a beer garden.
Make our own ice lollies.
Go on plenty of bike rides.
Plan a holiday for later on in the year.

What plans do you have for the summer?

Monday 28 June 2021

Our weekly meal plan! 28th June - 4th July. #MealPlanningMonday

Our Weekly Meal Plan

Last weeks meal plan went well. We ate just about everything and everything was enjoyed. The garlic mushroom and chicken spaghetti was so good and I think it will become a regular meal here. It was simple to make and my family loved it, even Ellie who isn't keen on mushrooms. On Friday night we had takeaway fish and chips and the portion was huge, I couldn't finish it. I think I will have to get a kids portion in future and on Saturday we had a trip into town, burgers for lunch and a footlong Subway sandwich and cream cakes for tea. We've said that's it for takeaway food for a while.

On Thursday I felt so meh about doing the online food shop and meal planning. I was so unmotivated this past week that I hadn't even booked one in advance and was lucky there was a slot to be delivered on Friday. I'd like just one week where someone does the shopping, meal planning and the cooking. It does get a bit boring. I remember being a child thinking I can't wait to be a grown up and be able to eat what I want. Being an adult is overrated. Sometimes the responsibility is just too much. lol

So ordering the shopping didn't go well and I only ordered the basics like bread, milk, fruit, ham, loo rolls, things like that and that's it. So it looks like we're having a week of eating from the freezer and cupboards which isn't a bad thing. I had a good look through the freezer over the weekend and kept thinking "oh, I forgot about that and that and that". lol  A bonus of my lack of motivation means that the shopping bill was half the price of what it usually is.

On the menu this week we have:

Tuesday - Sausage casserole (out of the freezer) with mash.
Wednesday - Tuna, sweetcorn, onion and mayonnaise pasta.
Thursday - Soup with ham sandwiches to dip in.
Friday - Chicken nuggets, chips and baked beans.
Saturday - Pizza.
Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort.

What are you eating this week?

Meal planning linky

Sunday 27 June 2021

A new visitor to my garden. #MySundayPhoto

When I walk into my garden especially near the wildflowers there is always insects buzzing about. More and more are visiting now that the flowers have bloomed and I feel like I am doing my bit to keep them happy.

What was new to my garden recently was this. I googled it and discovered it was a damselfly not a dragonfly like I had first thought. It really was beautiful.

A damselfly

My Sunday Photo linky

Saturday 26 June 2021

Week 25 of #Project365. 19th - 25th June. A photo every day for a year!

 This past week has gone in a blur. Stu had a lovely father's day. He loved his cards and presents but we didn't get up to much. To be honest I haven't really done much all week, just pottering around the house. It was my great aunt's funeral on Wednesday and she had a good send off. I didn't go as spaces were limited and it was my dad's generation who attended. I have of course being watching the football and it seemed a bit of an anti-climax England getting through to the last 16 before they had even played their last group match. Oh well, next up Germany. Eek! 

Now for a photo every day!

Spirograph patterns and Father's day cards
Mince, dumplings and veg.
A fuzzy flower and tomatoes which are growing.
The wildflowers in my garden
Grey's Anatomy on my TV

170/365 - 19th June
Ellie finally got the Spirograph set I got her for Christmas out of the box and she was fascinated with it. She spent a good couple of hours drawing, colouring and creating.

171/365 - 20th June
Stu had a lovely Father's day. He was spoilt rotten and was very happy with his presents.

172/365 - 21st June
Our tea on Monday. Mince and dumplings. There is mash hidden under all of the gravy. It was good.

173/365 - 22nd June
Another wild flower which I don't have a clue what it is. It looked very fuzzy and the day after sprouted blue flowers. It made me think of some sort of alien.

174/365 - 23rd June
This time last month I didn't have much hope for my tomato plant. It looked like it was dying, it's still not looking amazing but it has started growing tomatoes. There is at least 15 on it at the moment. 

175/365 - 24th June
The wild flowers in my garden. Every day at the moment I spot a new one.

176/365 - 25th June
Now that there is a break in the football I am back to binge watching Grey's Anatomy. I have learned to expect the big episodes to at the end of the series but this one, "Silent All These Years" caught me unawares. It was shocking and so, so sad but at the same time so heart warming how everyone supported the patient. I won't say anything and ruin it but if you've seen it you'll know the episode I am on about.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Friday 25 June 2021

This week my Word of the Week is: Homework! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

Homework

Just before half term Ellie's school sent a letter out saying they have been relaxed about the school rules while the pandemic was in full swing but things were going to change and those changes started after half term. There was phone calls home about kids bending the rules with uniform, bad behaviour was stopped in it's tracks and more homework has been given.

Ellie hates doing homework. She is in the way of thinking that if she does 6 hours at school she shouldn't have to work at home too. I can see her point but it's a part of life and the homework set usually doesn't take that long or is that hard to complete, well for her it's not, I struggle with some of it. Algebra, I am talking about you. lol

Anyway on Monday I got a message from school saying all of Ellie's homework that is set in future will be emailed to us. I didn't think anything of it until I got another message an hour or so later saying Ellie had an after school detention for not completing some science homework. She came home from school and we had words. I stressed to her that she has to do her homework, she argued but agreed that she would from now on.

I don't know if Ellie hasn't been doing her homework or the school have just gone crazy setting it this week but she's had loads compared to what she usually has. There has been a good variety too, not just the usual maths and science. She had to write all about the Suez Canal for Geography one evening and then all about the persecution of Jewish people by the Nazis another evening. She of course tried to put it off but I have convinced her it is better to just get it done and out of the way. 

Ellie did her detention on Tuesday evening and said it was a waste of time. She sat there, in the hall, in silence doing nothing. I thought she would have been made to do the homework she missed but no. If I was the teacher I would have had her writing lines at least. lol

There is just 4 weeks left of the school year for Ellie and then in September she really has to knuckle down as she is starting her GCSE's. She already has plans on what she wants to do when she leaves school, she just needs the grades to make her dreams come true and part of that means she has to do her homework which I think she is finally starting to understand.

Becky has no more college work to do until September, at college or at home. She was supposed to be in next week for her final day but all the work has been completed and marked and that's it. She now has the whole of the summer to relax which she is very happy about.

I hope you have all had a good week?

Word of the Week linky

Thursday 24 June 2021

10 Ways that we all mess up as parents.

 There is no such thing as a perfect parent. As much as we would like to be one it just doesn't happen. We all mess up at parenting sometimes and it's normal. We learn from our mistakes and our children forgive us. That's the way it goes.

Woman with hands over mouth

These are some of the ways we mess up as a parent!

We will shout and lose our temper!
I remember being pregnant with my eldest saying I would never lose my temper and shout but it's happened hundreds of times. Sometimes kids just know how to push our buttons and as much as we know we shouldn't shout, we do and then we inevitably feel bad about it.

You will send them to school in uniform when it’s non-uniform day or dress up day!
I am so guilty of this especially when my girls were little and I missed the letter from school about it. We would be walking to school and start seeing people in non-uniform and think nothing of it but the closer we got to school I would get that sinking feeling knowing it would be too late to go back home and get changed.

You will forget to be the tooth fairy!
I have done this more than once and then had to come up with an excuse as to why the tooth fairy did not take the tooth and leave a pound. She's been on holiday, she had the flu and the bedroom was too messy and she couldn't get in. hehehe. It was a good way to get Ellie to tidy her bedroom though.

You will be late to pick them up from school at least once!
It happens. I think I was late to pick my girls up a couple of times when I used to do the school run. I have no excuse it was just because I lost track of the time. I would find them sat outside of the school office and would feel the shame when the receptionist would give me that look.

You make empty threats!
We've all done it. Said things like if you don't stop being naughty or we're not going to go on that fun day out, the same day you have been planning for months which you are obviously going on or if you don't stop arguing with your sister you won't get any birthday presents. I would never follow through with a lot of the threats and it does get to a point where the kids learn this.

You will forget about school photo day at least once!
You will forget and of course it would be the one day that you are running late, the kids have crumpled uniforms and hair like a scarecrow. Even when they bring the copies of the photo home you still have to buy it because you would feel guilty not to.

You will throw away something that they ask for later!
A scribble on a piece of paper which was a special drawing for granny or a piece of random plastic that is crucial part of a toy. Of course we will feel guilty but then lie and say we have no idea where the missing item went. lol

You will not believe they are ill!
There will be at least one time where your kid will say they are poorly but you will still send them to school. Soon after you will get a phone call asking to pick them up as they have a temperature or even worse, have been sick. The kids will take great pleasure in saying I told you so.

You will struggle to help with homework!
It only gets harder the older they get too. Algebra and fractions are my weakness. Sometimes Google will help but when it doesn't I feel useless. I totally blame it's the way maths is taught now. They have changed it since I was at school.

You can't do anything right when they are teenagers!
Breathing too loudly, being too cheerful, asking too many questions or not enough and they think you don't care. I really feel that sometimes there is no pleasing a teenager.

Let me know how you have messed up as a parent!

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Bakewell Tart Traybake - Recipe!

 Did you know that it is national picnic week this week? I was sent a few recipes perfect to take on a picnic but this one really stood out. The Bakewell Tart Traybake!

Made with just 5 pieces of kitchen equipment this recipe combines the classic flavours of ground almonds with a sweet raspberry jam. It's baked in a traybake tin for a trendy spin on a traditional Bakewell Tart, with rectangular slices perfect for sharing at picnics!

Bakewell Tart Traybake

Makes a 20 x 30 cm traybake - 15 bars.

Ingredients:

150g of Plain flour.
150g of Caster sugar split into 50g and 100g.
200g of Unsalted butter, softened and split into 2 x 100g.
150g of Ground almonds.
1 Egg.
200g of Raspberry jam.
A handful of flaked almonds.
Icing sugar to dust.

Equipment:

A large mixing bowl.
A spoon.
A traybake tin, 9” x 13”, lined with baking paper.
Sieve/muslin (for dusting).
A knife.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 165°c.

2. Put all of the plain flour and 50g of caster sugar in the mixing bowl before rubbing in 100g of unsalted butter with your finger tips. When the mixture resembles crumbs, pour it into the lined traybake tin, spread it evenly and press it down so the crumbs loosely join together. Bake the base for 15 minutes.

3. While the base is baking, combine the remaining 100g of butter, 100g caster sugar, ground almonds and the egg in the mixing bowl with a spoon to make the frangipane topping.

4. When the base has had it's 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and add the jam, spreading it with the back of the spoon to make an even layer over the top, followed by all of the
frangipane mix (this will be a thicker layer) and a sprinkling of flaked almonds before returning to the oven for a further 30 minutes.

5. When the traybake is golden on top, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the tin. Dust the whole thing with icing sugar, slice into bars and top with more flaked almonds.

The recipe is from the Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by UK Flour Millers. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the Fab Flour website.

Tuesday 22 June 2021

2 Years since our house move.

It is 2 years later this week since we moved house from Northumberland to Scunthorpe and I can still say it is the best thing we've ever done. I wrote a blog post shortly after moving here saying how it was like a whole new world and it still is. If it wasn't for Coronavirus we would have had a stress free couple of years. lol

Back garden

We have just about got the house how we want it. At the start of 2020 I wrote about our DIY plans and how they should take a year or more to do but we got everything done by the end of the summer thanks to Stu being off work because of the pandemic and lockdowns. I think all we are missing now is a shower. We only have a bath and it's at this time of year we really miss being able to jump in the shower when we are all sweaty. It is in the pipeline and hopefully this will be our last summer without one.

I can't imagine living in Northumberland now. As beautiful as the county is, we lived in a not so nice area, Ashington. The last year or so cemented the fact that we need to live near my dad. He caught Covid in November and it was such a scary time. Obviously I couldn't go and see him but I did make sure he had supplies dropped off. I worried a lot and I was only 10 minutes away, I dread to think what I would have been like if I lived hours away.

We all have a better life here. Like I have said we are all more relaxed and we don't have the stresses we had in Northumberland. It seemed like I used to get a phone call from school at least once a week with issues at school now I can't remember the last time the school rang. Stu hated the job he used to have, he loved the people he worked with but not the shop he worked at and most of the people who would shop there. When the virus hit he was so glad to be no longer working in retail.

Our move has impacted the girls the most, in a good way of course. They are not the same girls they were a couple of years ago.

My eldest on a zip wire

Becky is doing well at college despite only being there one day a week at the moment. She has one more day left until September and then she is free for the summer. Becky has fallen in love and has been with her girlfriend for coming on a year and a half. She has had part time jobs, had days out without me and has grown in confidence.

Ellie has had the biggest changes in her life over the last couple of years. She went from suffering from social anxiety, being bullied relentlessly and hating school to the opposite. She has grown in confidence, has a fantastic bunch of friends, doesn't get bullied and loves school. She starts her GCSE's in September and can't wait. She already has her life planned out which is amazing.

I didn't dare let the girls go out to play when we lived in Ashington unless I knew every detail of where they were, who they were with and when they would be back. Now I am more relaxed about them going out. They're obviously older but it feels safer here and like there is less trouble to get into. Ellie went out to play with her friends a couple of weeks ago and was supposed to be coming in at 7pm as one of her friends was getting picked up then. At 7pm I rang her and asked where she was and she was in the next village over at their park. I wasn't worried about her, I was more worried about her friends grandad having to wait around.

My youngest stood in a field

I left a few good friends in Northumberland and was so worried about making friends here but I've had no problems in doing so. I now have people I can turn to in a crisis and just last week when I got the news of my Aunty Jean passing away within an hour a friend was here with pastries and takeaway coffee to cheer me up.

People will still say to me so and so street and I will have to go to Google Maps to find out where it is. Considering we live in quite a small town there is still lots of it that we haven't explored. I think the girls have explored more than me when they have been out with their friends.

We still haven't had many days out here thanks to the virus but fingers crossed this year we can actually get to some of the places we've had on our list of places we want to visit. Top of our list is The Deep, the aquarium in Hull. 

I am happy we made the move and have never regretted it. Well apart from when we fancy a McDonalds. I've only had one in the last 2 years. lol

Monday 21 June 2021

Our weekly meal plan! 21st - 27th June. #MealPlanningMonday

Our Weekly Meal Plan

Last weeks meal plan went well. We ate everything during the week and of course changed things on Saturday like we do every week. The thought was there I suppose. On Saturday we got the chicken buckets from Asda and had a sort of fake KFC with the chicken, fries, onion rings, garlic mushrooms, salad and coleslaw. We had sausage casserole on Sunday. I thought ahead and made extra mash so we have plenty for today.

I am so glad the weather has been a bit cooler, it makes it so much easier to cook. Looking at the weather forecast for this week it looks like rain with it warming up towards the weekend. As much as I love the sun it was getting to the point where it was just too hot and trying to sleep wasn't much fun. One night last week we had the bedroom windows wide open and I was messing about on my phone and the moths were coming in attracted to the light on my phone. I soon put it down when one had landed on me a couple of times. Eek! It took me ages to get to sleep after that ordeal.

We don't have much on this week. It's my great aunt's funeral on Wednesday but I am not going as numbers are still limited because of social distancing and there is only 30 odd people allowed to go and there are people who need to be there more than I do. I am OK with not going.

On the menu this week we have:

Monday - Mince and dumplings with mash.
Wednesday - Hot dogs in buns with corn on the cob.
Friday - Pizza.
Saturday - Chicken fajitas.
Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort.

What are you eating this week?

Meal planning linky

Sunday 20 June 2021

A fascinating flower. #MySundayPhoto

Every time I go into the garden I notice a new flower and last week I spotted this one among the wildflowers. It was such a bright yellow. That evening when I went to water the garden I noticed it had closed back up which fascinated me. The next day it was open again, then on Thursday when it was grey and rainy it was closed.

These both photos are the same flower just a few days apart when it had faded a bit and the lighting was different of course.

Yellow flower
Flower with raindrops on

My Sunday Photo linky

Saturday 19 June 2021

Week 24 of #Project365. 12th - 18th June. A photo every day for a year!

I'm glad it's the weekend and as of writing this I am glad of the rain. So much for the thunder storms we were forecast, they haven't appeared yet. Becky's girlfriend is here for the weekend so it should be a fun one. We don't have any plans apart from watching TV and relaxing.

We have had an OK week. It's wasn't the worst and there was a few good moments. I finally got a new sim card for my new phone and my number transferred over. I love it. It makes me old phone seem really old. The football has been keeping me amused and I have watched most of every match so far. 

Now for a photo every day!

Hand sanitiser and the football on the TV
Pastries and a cuppa and my eldest on a zip wire
A bee
Apple and candyfloss ice cream and a blue flower

163/365 - 12th June
I was sent some hand sanitiser which is aimed at children to try out. We really like it and it smells so good too.

164/365 - 13th June
Football and England's first match and we won, hooray!

165/365 - 14th June
Coffee and pastries for breakfast. I could eat these every day but they are once in a blue moon treat.

166/365 - 15th June
We were walking through the park and for the first time ever it was empty so Becky took the opportunity to have a go on the zip wire. She loved it and I was tempted to have a go too but didn't dare in case I was too heavy, it is aimed at kids after all.

167/365 - 16th June
I was chasing this bee around the garden trying to get a photo. I managed it eventually. 

168/365 - 17th June
Apple and Candyfloss ice cream from Morrisons. It tastes so good.

169/365 - 18th June
My garden is coming to life and every day I am spotting new flowers.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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Friday 18 June 2021

This week my Word of the Week is: OK. #WotW

 This week my Word of the Week is:

OK

It has been a strange week. There has been sadness but lots of good moments too. I could have easily used the word angry but I don't want to be a negative nancy as I haven't been angry all week. I have decided to go with the word OK. It hasn't been the greatest of weeks but I suppose it could have been worse.

My dad rang on Friday morning with the news my Great Aunt had passed away late Thursday evening. She'd been in hospital for a while and although it was expected but it was like a kick to the stomach. I spent the day crying at the littlest things. I also wrote about some of my memories of my Aunty Jean. I'm OK. I am angry that Covid stopped us being able to see her over the last 15 months but I keep telling myself she had a great life and it was an honour to have her in my life.

I had planned to have a lie in on Saturday morning but someone locally had other ideas and started doing DIY at half 7. I was fuming! I know some people work through the week and only have the weekend to do jobs around the house but this person could have had a little respect and started their DIY an hour or so later. Grr! I think if it had been any other weekend I wouldn't have been too fussed but after a tiring day before and then the worry of getting my 2nd Covid vaccine later on Saturday I just wanted sleep.

I had my 2nd vaccine just after midday on Saturday and was preparing myself to feel rough like after the 1st vaccine but it didn't happen. I didn't feel hot and cold but did feel a tiny bit achy and tired. On Sunday I just felt tired and that was it. I am now fully vaccinated.

When I got my new phone I rang O2 to get a replacement sim card. My old phone had a big sim card in and I needed a smaller one, they said they would send one out but they didn't. Grr! When I was in town last week I got one from the local O2 store. They couldn't transfer my number in the shop because I had no photo ID but had to ring up instead. It actually makes no sense to me. I can't see the difference talking to someone in the shop to talking to someone on the phone. Anyway on Monday I rang O2 to get my number transferred to my new sim. I spoke to a lovely man who had everything sorted quickly. In fact I was on hold waiting to speak to someone longer than I was actually speaking to someone. He said it could take up to 24 hours but my number was transferred in 2. I am so glad that I don't have to keep carrying 2 phones around and now Stu has my old phone. His old one had a cracked screen and all he uses a mobile for is to phone and text so my old one is OK for him.

Becky had a great weekend at her girlfriends. I was worried that last Friday she would feel the side effects from having her vaccine but she had an early night on the Thursday and was absolutely fine on Friday morning apart from the sore arm. We had an extra visit during the week from Becky's girlfriend. It was her birthday and wanted to spend a few hours with Becky. They didn't do anything special, just sat in the garden and enjoyed spending time together.

I have been enjoying watching Euro 2020. I have seen every match including the Denmark one on Saturday when Christian Eriksen collapsed. It was shocking, I cried. I think most of the world was watching expecting the worst but we breathed a sigh of relief when the news came that he was OK. It is horrible to think that if his collapse happened anywhere else the help he needed might not have got to him in time. The players on the pitch and medical staff were amazing.

Ellie is OK despite being sick at school a few times on Wednesday. Ellie said she had told teachers that she had a migraine and had been to the office a couple of times but they just told her to drink water and weren't going to send her home. I only found found out at just before the end of the school day when her friend messaged me. I went and met her from school and she was fine. She had a migraine in the morning, was sick a couple of times before lunch, didn't eat lunch and was sick again. She ate tea and I made sure she drank plenty of water. I was tempted to keep her off school yesterday, in the days before Coronavirus if a child was sick they had to stay away from school for at least 24 hours. I feel that the school wants to keep their numbers up and keep kids in as much as they can. Ellie didn't want to stay off school which is of course a good thing. She really loves school now which is so different from a few years ago.

Word of the Week linky

Thursday 17 June 2021

Moreish home made crumpets - Recipe.

Father's day is later this week and my girls and I always like to treat Stu to breakfast in bed. Usually it's just toast or a bacon sandwich but this year we are fancying trying something a bit different and a little more adventurous. I was recently sent a selection of recipes to have a look at and the crumpets really stood out.

We love crumpets here but always thought that more went into making them than actually does. They actually sound quite simple to make.

Crumpets

Ingredient's:
175ml of semi skimmed milk.
175ml of warm water.
225g of Carr’s plain flour.
2 1/2g Fast action dried yeast.
2 teaspoon of granulated sugar.
1 teaspoon of salt.
1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
Vegetable oil for cooking.

Equipment:
A heavy base frypan or flat griddle.
Three or four crumpet rings but you could also use metal biscuit cutters, egg rings or even an empty, cleaned tuna tin.

Method:
1. Warm the milk and whisk in the flour, yeast and sugar. Then add half the warmed water and beat to a smooth batter, gradually add the remaining water to create a thick and smooth batter mix. Cover with cling film and rest in a warm place for up to 2 hours.

2. Once the batter is foaming, whisk in the salt and the bicarbonate of soda.

3. Heat a heavy frypan or flat griddle on the stove. Apply a little oil with a brush or kitchen paper to grease the pan and insides of the crumpet rings. Place the rings in the heated pan or griddle and once hot add batter to each ring to just below the top of the ring.

4. Cook for 5 minutes at a medium heat. Holes will appear in the top surface as the crumpet batter sets, flip each crumpet over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Repeat to make 12 crumpets. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

6. When ready to serve, toast under a grill or in a toaster and serve with plenty of butter. Add the topping of your choice. We like golden syrup here but jam or honey is just as nice. 

Recipe belongs to Carr’s Flour, you can find out more information on their website. The full range is available to order from their online shop.

Wednesday 16 June 2021

(Ad - Gifted) Ocean Free Fantasy Hand Sanitiser for Children!

A couple of years ago hand sanitiser wasn't a big thing then the virus came along and just over a year ago along with loo rolls, pasta and tins of tomatoes hand sanitiser was impossible to buy. Now things are getting back to normal and we can now buy everything that was in short supply but even though life is getting back to normal we are keeping up with the hand sanitising.

The UK's leading manufacturer in hand sanitisers and disinfectants, Ocean Free have released a kids range of sanitiser products.

Ocean Free Fantasy Hand Sanitiser for Children

The Fantasy Hand Sanitiser kills 99.999% of many common germs and is also proven to be effective against enveloped viruses and yeast. It contains 70% ethanol to ensure quick effective hand sanitisation which is ideal for children.

Rigorously tested to all current applicable BS EN standards, the tried and tested formula quickly evaporates leaving hands feeling soft and refreshed due to its moisturising properties.

Use and application of hand sanitisers need to be supervised, and only a pea-sized applied to a child's hands to ensure effective hygiene and safety.

Using Hand Sanitiser

A lot of hand sanitiser stinks. You can really smell the alcohol and when you sniff your hands it hits the back of your throat. This smells amazing! It makes me think of candyfloss. With it smelling nice and it being pink it would really appeal to children. The unicorn on the label is just an added bonus.

Both Ellie and I have been using this and she really likes it. It has left our hands feeling great and it is something I wish was around this time last year.

The Fantasy hand sanitiser gel comes in a 500ml bottle which is available to buy from the Ocean Free website for £5.99 along with a 5 litre container which is ideal to refill the smaller pump dispenser bottle. The 5L container costs £15.99.

If you don't fancy the pretty pink scented hand sanitiser you can always opt for the non-scented and choose the handy tubes which will fit in to bags or pockets.

Hand Sanitiser Gel

I was sent a selection of hand sanitiser in exchange for this blog post.