30 Days of Gratitude Day 30 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today may be the last day of my 30 Days of Gratitude series, but it will certainly not be the last day I take account of what I am grateful for. In life the bad can outnumber the good, but joy will always conquer, as long as you leave yourself open to it. I thought about what I should be grateful for in my last column. There were numerous things: nature, a takeaway, going to a restaurant, the fact that I can make a living doing what I love (a HUGE one). The fact is that life is beautiful even in its ugly moments. In the tough times there are still those we love, surrounding and supporting us. Then there is just the fact that I am British. Britain is a wonderful country. I also live in London. I fell in love with London when I started to commute down for auditions. I have lived in London for almost ten years now. They have been the best years of my life. Positivity is important in life and negative thinking has a bad effect on your health. So every time you are having a bad day start your gratitude list. It helps, promise.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

The European Startup Revolution Book Review

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Margaret Graham

The European Startup Revolution is a book of interviews with leading European entrepreneurs and investors.

This is a book for the entrepreneurs amongst you, and perhaps those who are not yet, but hope to be.

Ivo Spigel, co-founding editor of the technology blog www.Tech.eu has interviewed 28 European startup founders and investors over a period of 6 years for his book, “The European Startup Revolution“.

The European startup and technology ecosystem has changed dramatically over the past 6 years, as it recovers from the 2008 financial crisis. No longer content to take the back seat, founders of European startups have been busy creating global winners, particularly in areas such as fintech (TransferWise), music (SoundCloud, Deezer) and gaming (Supercell, Nordeus, Playfish).

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Ivo Spigel has interviewed many of Europe’s most successful startup founders, from Spain to Finland and from Britain to Hungary. In the 28 chapters of The European Startup Revolution, the author takes an intimate look into the company with the founders to explore their early days, the critical steps to the evolution of their companies and how they developed over time.

Each chapter has a ‘before’ and ‘after’ part, speaking to the entrepreneurs first in 2010 – 2011 and then revisiting them 4-5 years later to learn what has become of their ventures. Most have been very successful, but there are valuable lessons to be learned from those who have not.

The companies covered are many, and include Zemanta, the venture funds Atlas, as well as Skimlinks, Playfish, Last.fm, Rebate Networks, Dailymotion, PriceMinister, Getjar, Index Ventures, Supercell, and others.

“The European tech landscape is changing“ commented author Ivo Spigel “and there is a need to report on these dynamic developments. Europe has nurtured some amazing companies that have not always had the media attention they deserve. I’ve written this book as an exploration and a celebration of European entrepreneurship.“

The book, is available at www.europeanstartuprevolution.com and www.Tech.eu, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google Play, Apple Books and Kobo.

30 Days of Gratitude Day 29 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to put my feet up. Mostly because it rarely happens! Like most working parents I am always on the go. In fact I spent the entire Easter Weekend working. Pretty sucky. But I did get my novel away and get a lot done. But life is about more than career and ticking off your to do list. Life is about joy and happiness. My happiest times are always with my boys. So this week I will be finding the time to put my feet up and relax. If my workload and baby allow it, I will be grateful.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

The London Fire Brigade has appointed their first-ever Young Fire Safety Officer

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Such a great story has reached Frost Magazine:

The London Fire Brigade has appointed their first-ever Young Fire Safety Officer, 7 year old Archie Cosaitis, to head up the PLAYMOBIL 150th anniversary firefighter crew

Archie is a lifelong fan of the Fire Brigade, and will be launching 65 collaborative open days across the capital throughout this 150^th anniversary year, to get the essential message across about fire safety in the home.

Limited-edition London Fire Brigade versions of popular PLAYMOBIL Fire Brigade sets have also been created for little ones to learn through play at home. 10% of proceeds will be donated to the Brigade’s charities of choice, with toys available from April to purchase at the open days and from PLAYMOBILE customer services.

Archie was inspired by the PLAYMOBIL crew’s catchy sing-a-long video already being used by London Firefighters and the Brigade’s Education team as part of their fire prevention outreach work. It shows children how London Fire Brigade fights more than just house fires and highlights how much they do for the community.

Duties in his new role include blowing out the candles of a birthday cake made by Great British Bake Off star Firefighter Mat Riley, giving fire safety advice to his classmates and testing out PLAYMOBIL’s latest Fire Brigade vehicles.

The anniversary open days will be perfect for anyone who’s ever fancied playing firefighter for a day. These will take place across London from April through to December. Children big and small can meet real firefighters and life-sized PLAYMOBIL ones, plus enjoy toys and activities galore.

Jamie Dickinson, Marketing Manager of PLAYMOBIL UK, commented, “Archie is doing a sterling job so far in bringing the fun factor to learning about fire safety. He’ll have me out of a job if I’m not careful!”

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said, “The 65 open days across the capital are a great opportunity for people to celebrate our birthday and interact with firefighters who do so much work protecting London every day. Our Education Team does a great job instilling fun into our fire safety advice and Archie is an important ambassador for the work we do.”

Click here to see all 65 anniversary open day dates and locations: http://bit.ly/PLAYMOBIL_LondonFireBrigade

Watch the all-singing, all-dancing video here:

http://bit.ly/PLAYMOBIL_LondonFireBrigade_Video

Whisky Lovers gather round for The London Whisky Weekender 1st-3rd April

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Kesh

Celebrate the end of a four-day week with a toast of some of the finest Whisky’s from around the world. The London Whisky Weekender is back and returns to the popular East London venue, The Oval Space. From only £30 ticket-holders can revel in trying a whole host of new and traditional Whisky’s from American bourbons through to Japanese, Irish, Scotch and more. This year sees a particular emphasis on Old and Rare World Whiskies, along with a programme of unique ‘blendathon’ workshops, tastings, guest appearances from distillers, whisky cocktails, street food and music all weekend, making it the whisky event on the London calendar.

With four sessions to choose from from Friday-Sunday, there will be plenty of time to try, buy and ask any burning questions to the expert exhibitors who include, Talisker, Chivas Brothers, Jamesons and Jura to name a few. Included in the ticket price is a bottle of water, a festival guide and a Glencairn glass for you to try drams from any of the eclectic exhibitors. With the opportunity to try out some of the legends or the newer craft and small batch distilleries, The London Whisky Weekender is your grain-filled oyster. If you’re after something extra special, why not try one of the Under-the Counter drams this gives you a chance to purchase tokens to try some of the more exclusive and rare Whisky’s on offer.

Soaking up the whisky will be a roster of tasty street food offerings and local organic suppliers, whilst a soundtrack of rock and blues will set the tone for a whisky fuelled weekend. We think it’s the hottest ticket for the Weekend, whether you’re a connoisseur or novice, trying something new or enjoying an old favourite, toast away your winter blues with a decent old dram.

For more info or to purchase tickets visit;

The London Whisky Weekender

Special offer if you visit on Friday 1st April session 2 tickets for £40

Oval Space, 29-32 The Oval, London, E2 9DT

30 Days of Gratitude Day 28 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for art. While I don’t find a lot of time to do my own art much, I still find joy in others. I love art galleries and museums. Discovering new artists is also one of my favourite things. Below is some of my art which I did years ago. I am going to make sure that I start drawing more this year. The last picture is a drawing of my son and I by Holly Thomas. I love it and we have it framed and on display. It was a wonderful present from Holly.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On by Debbie Macomber Reviewed by Jan Speedie

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Leanne and her daughter-in-Law Nichole are both coping with the aftermath of divorce and decide to compile a guide to help them move on. Two years on both Leanne and Nichole have pushed forward with their careers and have found new relationships. Just as they feel life is good, people from their past try to spoil their new happiness and bring difficult family challenges which they must overcome to secure their bright future.

Debbie Macomber is a bestselling author in the USA with over 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide. It is said she is a master of feel good stories, ones which raise the spirits of those dealing with relationship problems.

So how much of a master is she?

A Girl’s Guide to Moving On is easy reading and it certainly does bring raise the spirits in our hum drum world, especially as we wait for spring to be sprung.

The pace is brisk, the emotive thrust draws us in, and it is one of there rare things these days, a wholesome and satisfying read.

Another few million sales on the way it would seem. Great stuff.

Debbie lives with her husband, Wayne in Port Orchard, Washington. As well as her best selling fiction Debbie has published two cookbooks, numerous non-fiction works and two children books. Debbie is a devoted grandmother and works for several charities. Debbie and Wayne spend their winters in Florida.

Published by Arrow in paperback on 10th March 2016 at £5.99

30 Days of Gratitude Day 27 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for less. I have been decluttering our apartment for a while now, and it is amazing how much clearer you feel when you are not surrounded by junk. I have not been just throwing things in the bin as I hate waste. Just putting things in a landfill rather than your home does no one any favours. What I have been doing instead is recycling, selling and giving to charity. I feel better, have some money in my pocket and have less distractions. Win win.

What are you grateful for today?