Strictly Come Dancing - a little history of the show.

Whilst I cannot confess to being a die-hard Strictly Come Dancing fan or to watching the show religiously, I do enjoy watching the show every once in a while when I’m not busy catching up on household chores – oh the glamour!

Watching the show gives me a glimpse into a world of glamour where celebrities and their dance partners look amazing as they show off their moves showcasing different dances to the beat of the music.

I must admit I sometimes feel a hint of envy at all that glamour and the fabulous costumes as I watch sitting in my old but very comfortable PJ’s with my hair a mess and my face showing the signs of tiredness. Plus having no rhythm at all myself it is nice to watch people with talent amaze me with their wonderfully choreographed dance routines. I find myself imagining that in another universe where I had a touch of rhythm and talent that it was me up on the famous Strictly stage dancing away in an extraordinary costume (a sparkly one often features in my day dream).

Are you driving on the right side of the law?

As soon as I turned 17 I put on my L plates and started learning driving. When I learnt how to drive and passed my test over 10 years ago (eek where have the years gone?) I soon realised the importance of knowing and sticking to driving laws.

Whilst the obvious driving offences such as speeding, drink driving and dangerous driving should be known by all drivers there are a number of driving laws that are in place in the UK that most drivers won’t know about.

Simpson Millar have created a Driving on the Right Side of Law infographic to showcase driving laws that may not be common knowledge to the majority of UK drivers who may well be breaking the law without even knowing it.

Water usage - Down the Plughole infographic.

Here in the UK we are considerably lucky that water resources are abundant in comparison to developing countries where there is inadequate access to water especially clean, safe water.

As highlighted in Water Pressure Problems’ informative Down the Plughole infographic, it is thanks to the water resources we have here in the UK that we have a plentiful supply of essential water for our everyday lives; which allows us to eat, drink and wash conveniently and safely.

But whilst we are lucky to have adequate water resources readily available to meet our daily water needs, there are mounting challenges of water quantity and quality affecting the UK. A few of the challenges on the UK water supply are mentioned in the infographic below, which highlights that “pressures on water resources may also increase due to population growth and changes in household sizes”.

The infographic also emphasises the fact the government would like to reduce personal water usage over the next few years as “the energy used to heat water in UK homes generates 35 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions every year….over 5% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions”. The infographic shows that to help reduce water consumption new technological developments are being developed to decrease water usage and that new, sustainable homes being built would make use of eco-friendly technology such as water reuse system along with energy and water efficient appliances.

As an eco-conscious family who are keen to lower their water usage for environmental and economic reasons I find the information surrounding water usage, in particular how to reduce water consumption, on the Down the Plughole infographic an interesting read. Not only is it interesting to read about reducing water usage it is also very interesting to see how water is used in the UK.

Not surprisingly flushing the toilet uses the most water in homes, stacking up a whopping 30% of water usage, followed closely by running baths which counts towards 21% of water usage. Interestingly washing clothes only counts towards 13% of household water usage and washing up is only 8% of how water is used in the home.

Take a look at the Down the Plughole infographic below which was created by www.waterpressureproblems.com for more interesting facts about water usage in the UK including the fact that “the UK has a fairly average level of water consumption compared to the rest of Europe, placing 10^th out of 22 listed countries”. 

Popular puppies.

I have loved dogs since I was a young child. My love of dogs was sparked by the loveable family dogs we had on the farm when I was growing up. Over the years we had a number of dogs of a few different dog breeds, all of which are dear to my heart and have played a big part in many a precious childhood memory. Even when we moved from the family farm I still had the joy of a dog in the home thanks my sister’s adorable dog who was considered a member of the family.

When I moved out of the family home I missed having a dog. Thankfully my home was not dog-free for long as my sister and mum bought me a cute little puppy for my birthday. Now many a year later that little puppy is all grown up and along with a younger dog is a big part of my own little family.

As I have been fortunate enough to have had a number of different dog breeds touch my life over the years including Bichon Frise, Labrador, Golden Retriever, Cocker Spaniel and Jack Russell Terrier, I always find it interesting what dog breeds are the most popular with other people.

Thanks to insurance pioneer Bought By Many I know what puppy breeds are most searched for online following their recent study which analysed a vast amount of internet search data to find the UK’s most popular puppies of 2014.

Loneliness and the elderly - Stannah Stairlift survey.

Having grown up in a rural Welsh community where there is a strong ethos of looking after each other I grew up with the belief that helping others is important.  Thanks to my belief in helping others and a respect for others especially the elderly, since I was a child I have thought it is very important to care for the elderly.

Not only do I regularly spend time with and do my best to care for and help my elderly relatives, I also make sure to keep in regular touch with my elderly neighbours. For me personally I love spending time with elderly people; they have a lifetime’s worth of wealth to impart through their stories, are inspirational and are friendly company.

As I believe the British pensioners are valuable members of society I found the results of a recent YouGov poll conducted by lift manufacturer Stannah Stairlift to be a sad insight into how British pensioners feel.

Severe wind and weather.

Source: metoffice.gov.uk