A review of Travel Games by Natalie Jayne Peeke, West Country Correspondent

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As many parents know, one of the biggest challenges we face when travelling with our adorable offspring is keeping their minds engaged in some form of activity or other in order to avoid the dreaded drone of ‘I’m bored’ coming from the backseat of the car. After all playing games such as ‘I Spy’ can only go so far. Fear not for I have a number of solutions for you that will keep everyone entertained, not only on the journey, but once you have reached your destination. So buckle up, as we are ready to lift off.

First up we have Travel Tension – £12.99 Amazon. This one quickly became a favourite in our household, it is simple yet very effective:  included are a small timer, coloured counters, a large number of up to date questions, all of which are neatly packed away in a container that doubes up as a cardholder for the game.

How do you play ? It‘s very simple , you will need at least 2 players or teams, each team or player takes a turn picking a card from the deck, asking the opposition the question – the team or player has until the timer runs out to name as many answers as possible. When they call out a correct answer the player holding the card deck simply pushes down the corresponding snap button. When the timer runs out, depending on how many correct answers were given, a coloured counter is issued. We have adapted this during car journeys, so that the timer and counters were not included and we simply took turns answering and asking the questions.

We really enjoyed this game as it was easy to use, compact and really got us thinking.

The next item on our agenda is Pop Culture Game, @ £7 from Kikkerland. We found this one to be more family friendly as there were questions that my parents knew the answers to, questions to which I knew the answers, and some that my children knew. This game consists of a pack of cards with pop culture questions on them and multiple choice answers. neatly stored in a small pink tin, no extra pieces involved just the cards, proving to be simple yet very effective.

This game is great to keep in the car, your handbag etc. or it can be used in a group setting, perhaps as you are all sitting around the table and enjoying some down time after a chaotic day.

                     

Geomag Glow @ £19 from Amazon & Geomag Super Colour @ £29.99 from Toys R Us were the next to be ‘tested’, I am putting these two together as the only thing that separates them is the colour of the magnetic poles. The glow version consisted of ‘glow in the dark magnetic rods’ whereas the the super colour version has red, orange, green and blue magnetic rods. They are both a fun way to learn about magnets and ,with the help of the instructions provided, adults and children alike can have lots of fun creating structures. Each set comes with 2 bases to start building on as well as metal balls to connect the magnetic rods to each other. This is an enjoyable alternative to screen time.

I personally love the fact that everything in theses sets are made from 100% recycled materials. Additionally the rods and spheres are stored in small boxes.

Last but by no means least is the Catchphrase Card Game @ £12.99 from Amazon. I have always been a huge fan of the TV game show and when your’e watching it at home the answers seem so obvious but when you’re playing the game – not quite so much. This card game is for at least 3 players and you can decide on how many rounds you would like to play. Included are 123 playing cards, plus a reveal sleeve which is used for the bonus catchphrase if you do not wish to scan the QR code and see the animation online. From personal experience I would reccomend this game for ages 12 and over. My children aged 8 and 9 struggled wth this. Yes, they did get a few answers but when I played with other family members it was more easy going. The rules are simple: simply say what you see. Perfect for those miserable rainy days or a family night in, fun and laughter is gaurenteed.

I hope that this Travel Games guide helps you and your families when you next embark on a journey. Without a doubt there will still be complaints from the backseat about their never ending hunger and thirst or the need to use the loo despite the fact that you told them to go before you left.  At this moment in time I have nothing to help you with those issues but at least with these Travel Games no one will complain of boredom.

Crisis by Nicky Perfect – a triumph. Reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke West Country Correspondent

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‘We had been there for over 12 hours. The man was still 30 feet up a tree, balancing on a branch directly over one of the main railway lines out of one of the busiest train stations in the country. He refused to talk to us, threatening to jump if we came too close. To him, we were the enemy. My job was to preserve his life.

The most dangerous time in any negotiation is when you think you’re winning.’

From kidnappings to terrorist incidents, violent armed stand-offs to talking someone back from the ledge: all these make up the day-to-day life of Nicky Perfect’s job as a crisis and hostage negotiator.

One of the first on the scene in situations that most would run from, Nicky is deployed to defuse the most volatile and fraught situations imaginable.

After a decade on the frontlines, confronting the extremes of human behaviour, these are the stories and cases that have shaped a career spent on high alert, where life often hangs in the balance. It’s about finding yourself and following your passion, and of a life lived to help others.

Review

This book is sensational. I will warn you that once you’ve started you will struggle to do anything else until you have finished. Nicky starts off with her early career and as the book progresses so does her experience, it is amazing to be taken on that journey with her. The other thing that struck me was Nicky’s compassion and understanding, her wish and desire to help people on the worst day of their lives.

With Crisis, Nicky also shares her personal thoughts and emotions, I felt like I knew her once I had finished it. I didn’t, I knew her story. I took it upon myself to follow Nicky on social media, and I am so pleased I did , for she shares weekly tips which really have helped me. Nicky Perfect is an impressive woman and I recommend this book to everyone. If you enjoyed Fighting For Your Life by Lysa Walder and The Prison Doctor by DR Amanda Brown then you need to add Crisis to your reading collection.

Crisis by Nicky Perfect. Pub Harper Collins. £8.99 for paper back.

eBook and audio are also available.

 

 

Chris Pulham, Railway Artist supreme, talks to Frost Magazine as she prepares for her exhibition in Bedale

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Chris Pulham’s railway paintings bowled me over as I toured the model railway exhibition held in the  Thirsk Town Hall recently, so obviously I had to pin down this extraordinarily talented woman: why railways?

Readers, I found her and, as with many of us, Chris has liked steam locomotives since she was a small child. For her, it meant she was going somewhere exciting. So, jumping to adulthood we find Chris held true to this interest, which was as well for Rob had entered her life, and he was also an aficionado of steam railways. Off the pair of them would go – to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway – and watch the trains go by,  probably waved at the driver, and certainly, as she said, smelt the smoke, and  hot oil. Even as she said this, I could see and smell the trains myself. So evocative; and wonderful that these glorious steam trains have been saved by enthusiasts, and what’s more, transferred to stretch canvas by Chris Pulham.

Chris has been painting and drawing for as long as she remembers, though to begin with, it was horses. She continued painting once she was working full time, but after seeing Sir Nigel Gresley come out of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway shed following his overhaul. she shifted her attention to railways.

Chris had taken photos of Sir Nigel Cresley, and used these to paint Sir Nigel’s portrait in oils. Rob, of course, loved it, and commissioned many more…  (There are now the most magnificent steam engine paintings festooning the house). It transpired that it was indeed fortunate that  Chris had developed this love of a particular subject as life a took a tricky turn when ill health dealt her a blow, and full-time work became an impossibility for some years. So, art became central to her life – a lifeline if you like.

Wakefield Shed

I was curious to know which was Chris’s favourite painting, and it transpires that it is a scene at Wakefield Shed, showing an ex LNER B1 locomotive called Harry Hinchcliffe – named after a LNER director. She included 2 schoolboys peering in to see if the foreman was around. She used the boys to emphasise the size of the engine. It is her favourite because she used Rob as a model for the boys.

Though Chris started her artistic career using oils, she became allergic to turpentine and switched to acrylics. Adjustment took a while as oils stay wet and pliable on the canvas and colours can be blended easily. Acrylics, on the other hand, dry almost immediately once brushed onto the canvas, and can’t be wiped off if mistakes are made. So, nothing daunted, Chris developed her own acrylic techique, and used a bacon box and pump spray to keep the paint moist, enabling her to apply many layers of paint to achieve the depth of colour she required. Atta girl.

So, there we are: Chris had sorted her painting materials, her illness was behind her, and though she volunteered with the Guild of Railway Artists for a while, art is now her sole focus.  Where can people see her work?

Chris is will be at the Village Hall, Station Road, Newton-le-Vale, Bedale, Lower Wensleydale, DL8 1SP for her exhibition RAILWAYS ON CANVAS. 9th and 10th September – 10am  – 4pm. Free Entry with refreshments  in aid of Breast Cancer Now.

I implore you to go along. Her work is fabulous.

Let’s leave the last word to Chris Pulham: ‘I hope to continue painting well into my dotage, with perhaps one or two exhibitions along the way. I’m thinking I may paint other subjects from time-to-time. I quite fancy painting wild life. There is certainly a lot to inspire me living in the Dales.’

www.chrispulhamrailwayartist.co.uk

 

Neom Organics Bath Milk -Relaxation Has Just Reached A New Level – by award winning author Dr Kathleen Thompson

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I’m feeling rather smug at the moment, having just returned from trekking in the Bulgarian mountains – lovely forests and fabulous wild-life, plus a rare excuse to stuff myself guilt-free with carbohydrates. However, since my return, every single muscle has been screaming accusations at me every time I try to move.

So what a great time to give those poor muscles some love and try out Neom Organics’ newly released Perfect Night’s Sleep Bath Milk. And I’m so glad I did – in fact my limbs have almost forgiven me, with the proviso that I never abuse them like that ever again.

But what’s so special about Neom Organics Bath Milks? Well, pretty much everything. Neom Organics was founded by Nicola Elliot, whose long hours as a journalist were leaving her permanently exhausted. She retrained as an aromatherapist and started creating fabulous aromatherapy-based products aimed at improving her own wellbeing and that of her family – now she is sharing the love with us.

So what’s her secret? Well she creates 100% natural fragrances using only the purest possible essential oils, blended with organic oils.

Not only do these two new Bath Milks smell amazing – I can vouch for that, having almost fallen asleep in my luxurious bath, but they also contain nutrients to benefit and relax your aching muscles and feed your skin.

Perfect Night’s Sleep Bath Milk treats us to Lavender, Chamomile, Patchouli, Jasmine, Sweet Basil, Lavandin and Cedarwood (are you beginning to see why it was so hard for me to pull the plug out and get dressed?). This blend not only smells amazing – so many different layers of beautiful perfumes – but these particular essential oils are known to help better sleep, reduce stress, boost energy and lift mood.

And if you’re desperate for a destress – check out Real Luxury Bath Milk – with a different great blend of aromatherapy oils including Jasmine, Sandalwood and Clove Bud.

But that’s not all – oh no – these Bath Milks are also infused with magnesium which has a direct effect on tired muscles – relaxing and preventing cramps, plus organic jojoba, argan and olive oils which are packed with antioxidants and vitamins to soothe and smooth your skin and Aloe Vera too, making your skin even softer and smoother. My skin felt and looked great afterwards and my muscles were so relaxed that I’m almost tempted to sign up for another mountain holiday (but please don’t tell them).

So do give these amazing Bath Milks a whirl – your body will truly thank you and you deserve it. Launch Day is 1st September 2023, when you can buy both of these on the Neom Organics website and at major retailers, RRP £40 for a nice 300 ml bottle.

By Dr K Thompson, author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q

http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

TEN YEARS AN AUTHOR… JANE CABLE SHARES HER MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS

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Jane Cable self published her first book in 2013, after it reached the final of a major national competition sponsored by Harper Collins. After a brief flirtation with an agent and another publisher, in 2018 she signed to Sapere Books, for whom she writes haunting romances. Two years later she achieved her dream of becoming an Harper Collins author, writing as Eva Glyn. So far four women’s fiction titles have been published by One More Chapter, three of them set in Croatia.

This week, lessons eight to ten:

Publishing deals are increasingly hard to find

One thing I really wish I had been able to tell my twenty-something self was to prioritise my writing then, because publishing would become an increasingly tough business. Sadly that still holds true today.

Think about it; when one of the mainstays of your business plan is the 99p ebook (of which the platform selling it will take a very large share), a huge number will need to be sold to make anything like a profit. And it seems to me a bit of a fallacy that the costs involved are lower; the only thing missing are printing and physical distribution, and those can be done very cheaply in bulk, especially when you consider the differential in price.

So publishers have to be incredibly careful about what they acquire. Celebrity authors are bankers who bank roll the rest of us, but very little else is certain. Even authors with contracts can find themselves in choppy waters if the first book of a deal does not sell well. It’s brutal, but it’s a business. And sadly, with a cost of living crisis gripping the country and beyond, I can’t see it getting better any time soon. Sorry.

 

You will spend more time marketing your books than you ever imagined

When new authors blithely ask what they need to do to make sure their book sells I do have a wry little smile to myself. If there was a magic bullet and I knew what is was, I would be top of the Amazon rankings.

The one thing I can say with a degree of certainly is that you need to choose your marketing channels and stick with them consistently. I can tell when some authors have a book out in the near future because suddenly they pop up on social media, after an absence of months or even years. In that time all but your closest contacts are going to forget you.

Of course marketing takes time. I spend at least an hour on it each day, mainly on social media, but also looking at other promotional opportunities such as advertising, preparing new graphics, polishing up my website and Amazon pages, writing guest blogs… The list is pretty endless, but it’s only by trial and error you will discover what works for you.

 

A good edit is the best learning experience you can have

The first book I wrote for One More Chapter was The Olive Grove, and when the structural edit came back it wasn’t so much a case of ‘could do better’ as ‘must do better’. I was devastated, but the notes I was given were so detailed they provided a roadmap for how to improve the book, so it could become the best seller that it has.

I learnt so much from that experience. How to fill the pages with wonderful settings and deep, credible emotions. How to take a reader inside the story and keep them there, turning every page. It was the most valuable learning experience of my entire writing life, and I have pumped what I learnt into everything I’ve written since. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m perfect and every time I receive an edit back from One More Chapter I am trembling not only with fear, but with anticipation.

Each and every one has made me a better writer. And that’s very exciting indeed.

 

Lessons one to seven have been published on the previous two Wednesdays.

 

NEW BOOKS FROM THE CARIADS

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The Secret Sister by Jan Baynham, reviewed by Jane Cable

This beautiful book transported me not only to Sicily, but to mid Wales during the Second World War, and the claustrophobia of the small communities where everyone knew everybody else’s business. It is here the book starts, in 1943, when Italian prisoner of war Carlo meets Sara, who had been trapped in an abusive marriage.

The Secret Sister is unusual for a dual timeline because the whole wartime narrative is played out before the story moves on to 1968, but I can see it had to be this way for the story to work, and the author definitely made the right decision to do so. It is in this second part of the book that we travel to Sicily and Baynham brings the island to life in a wondrous whorl of colours, tastes and sensations. I was absolutely transported there and now cannot wait to visit the island.

I thoroughly recommend this emotional tale of family secrets and enduring love.

 

The Sea Sisters Swimming Club by Sue McDonagh, reviewed by Morton S Gray

Fran is a survivor and a woman cast adrift by a heart attack which cut short her police career. She is finding the adjustment to life outside of the force difficult and unsettling. She really doesn’t know who she is at the beginning of the novel. An opportunity to house sit by the sea in Wales offers her the chance to explore options for her future and rediscover her spirit.

Wyn is also wounded by life after an accident changed him forever both mentally and physically. He agrees to teach Fran to swim and they get ever closer, but he is hiding secrets of his own and has a needy ex-wife.

Enjoyed the references to the Art Hotel encountered in other Sue McDonagh books and the comradery of the sea sisters. I loved some of the secondary characters too – Elin, Gavin, Caitlin. And the novel made me want to enjoy coffee and cake by the sea, even if I don’t venture into the waves beyond paddling, but who knows I may get braver like Fran after being shown a glimpse of possibilities by this book.

A feel good, inspiring read which made me want to read more of Sue McDonagh’s novels.

 

The Lost Heir by Jane Cable, reviewed by Kitty Wilson

The Lost Heir is a dual timeline story that flits between Regency Cornwall and Cornish life in 2020. For the historical element, Jane Cable has taken her location and characters straight out of the Cornish Archives and built a world around them that you can absolutely believe to be true, or at the very least, wish it was.

Jane Cable meshes history, romance, and the supernatural and touches on subjects that are far from easy to write about, rape, the scandal of illegitimacy, the limitations placed on women in Regency times, the lockdowns of recent years; and yet each and every storyline is written with an insight and sensitivity that pulls the reader thoroughly into the world inhabited by these characters.

It is the descriptions of Cornwall however that set this book far above others of a similar vein. I was galloping across the cliffs with William, sat with Harriet as the oil-lamps flickered and I found myself escaping to this book whenever I had a few spare minutes, racing through the story desperate to know how Franny would resolve her situation, keen to know if the modern-day romance could possibly play out as I wished it to.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and if you too want to escape to Regency Cornwall, then I highly recommend that you do so with this beautifully captivating, insightful and evocative book.

 

 

 

 

Project Greenfingers by Alex Bannard Wellbeing and Wellness editor

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Last year a psychic told me I loved gardening, not to mention dirty hands covered in soil. This couldn’t have been further from the truth – my garden was, quite frankly, like the Day of the Triffids with head high weeds dominating  the space the trampoline didn’t monopolise. Gardening felt like housework and it was the one mindful activity I just couldn’t embrace.

But his words had sown a seed:

I had  been exploring a more Ayurvedic approach to life and menopause. Ayurveda is the sister science of yoga, steeped in ancient tradition, and is recognised by the WHO as one of the oldest medical systems. It’s a beautifully holistic, whole-body approach to physical, mental & emotional wellbeing, with herbs an essential part of Ayurveda: cooking with them, herbal teas & infusions, herbal tinctures for specific aliments.

I am also increasingly drawn to natural surroundings, and the seasons. I began to admire those living more self-sufficiently,  perhaps even off the grid. In fact I discovered someone in Melbourne who had been off the grid and self-sufficient for 15+ years and  felt inspired. After all, if it could be done in the middle of a city surely/maybe I could do the same in the Vale of Evesham.

So I decided to plant a small herb garden & Project Greenfingers was born.

I was mindful that a small herb garden was a realistic start. It wasn’t plain sailing as my Percy Thrower-ess is severely limited: I bought marjoram instead of oregano, then potted & unpotted mint only to discover it was sage. There were many other comedy moments.

I bought  house plants for some much needed interior greenery.  The kids began to think I devoted more time to the plants than to them as each day I dreamed of how I could extend the transformation of the garden.

Then one day, completely out of the blue one of my neighbours asked if I wanted some sleepers and top soil. I hadn’t anticipated my dream would manifest so quickly but 2 days later my son and his best mate transported it all around the block. I piled on manure to fertilise it and bought packs of wild flower seeds which I scattered on top. Suddenly I was being given all sorted of plants, sunflowers, pumpkins, squash, courgette, tomatoes, more herbs.

It’s all higgledy-piggledy and very random but I have loved every minute of creating, planting and getting my hands dirty. I have watered and nourished my plants, watching them blossom and bloom.

I had no idea when I embarked on Project Greenfingers how quickly it would evolve and how much I would truly enjoy creating a more natural haven in our garden. It had not – ever – occurred to me that I would be a participant in the joy of creation, but indeed I was, and grateful beyond measure for the seed of inspiration the psychic shared.

Alex is a yoga teacher, mindfulness coach & menopause mentor & you can find out more about her antics on my socials or blog:

Website: alexbannard.com

For free resources check out:

Facebook group: Mindfulness & Yoga for Self-Care: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MindfulnessYoga4Relationships

YouTube channel: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCQlKZJ7MeyYc6lqkv6seISw

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexbannard/

TEN YEARS AN AUTHOR… JANE CABLE SHARES HER MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS

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Jane Cable self published her first book in 2013, after it reached the final of a major national competition sponsored by Harper Collins. After a brief flirtation with an agent and another publisher, in 2018 she signed to Sapere Books, for whom she writes haunting romances. Two years later she achieved her dream of becoming an Harper Collins author, writing as Eva Glyn. So far four women’s fiction titles have been published by One More Chapter, three of them set in Croatia.

This week, lessons five to seven:

Writers who have successfully self published tend to be more savvy

I started out by self publishing my first novel, The Cheesemaker’s House, because at that time in particular, publishers were afraid of ghosts. In romance books anyway. I knew nothing about the process, so put in into the capable hands of assisted publisher Matador, but even so it was a very steep learning curve.

I needed to understand retail distribution, I didn’t know book bloggers existed, and barely anything at all about Amazon categories, let alone going wide or narrow. The whole process of publishing and marketing baffled me, but I had to learn pretty quick. Also to moderate my expectations about the sales the book might achieve, although the ebook at least vastly exceeded them.

All of these were important lessons to take with me when I found a publisher. Everything from assessing the contract to understanding the control I would be giving up, and the promotion I would still need to do. If I hadn’t indie published first I would have been clueless.

 

Writer friends you really trust are invaluable

Ten years ago I had only one writer friend, introduced to me by a neighbour, and that was Claire Dyer. Through getting to know her I learnt the value of having someone to talk to about all aspects of our craft and of the crazy world of publishing we operate in, and we are friends to this day.

Writers talk about ‘finding their tribe’, and I found mine first in Chindi, a group of independently publishing authors in Chichester, where I was living at the time. Three of us moved on to find deals more or less together and we have remained close, but I learnt so much from almost every member of that group I will be forever in their debt.

As my career has changed, I have made many new writer friends, but there is a solid core of those I trust implicitly; people I can turn to when times are tough, and celebrate the successes too. Without them, being an author would be a very lonely business.
When you’re in the publishing wilderness, keep writing if you can

Overnight success in publishing is rare and most authors have periods they either feel they are never going to make it, or that they have been in the wilderness so long there is no possible way of crawling back.

It is so important to keep writing. One famous author described her work as her life raft when her publisher dumped her, and I totally understand that. Writing is as much a vocation as it is a profession, and without it many of us would feel even more lost. It can be a life, and mental health saver, but if you take a break then that is fine too. Your brain and body will tell you what you need to do if you listen to them.

Of course you also need to keep writing to have something to submit. Or even a drawer full of somethings, so that when that deal arrives you can offer more than one book, because you’re going to need it. It proves you have the work ethic, commitment and ideas it takes to succeed now it’s your turn to shine.

Lessons one to four were published last Wednesday, and lessons eight to ten will be published next week.