Things that Pop into my Head

Flight to Australia Competition

Source: hazel eyes
Friday 5th February 2010, 12:41pm

I have just found a competition where the lucky winner will win 2 return flights to Australia.

The competion is in the Irish Independent - http://competitions.independent.ie/win-2-return-flights-to-australia!-641.html. It costs 2 Euros to enter, and it looks like you have to book first and hand over money, maybe the winners get their flights paid for? So only enter if you're going anyway - bit of a long shot otherwise.

The flight to Australia is via Abu Dhabi, probably not enough time to look about and do any shopping though.

It does seem like a bit of a weird competition, you would normally expect to enter and win a free holiday, rather than have to book it first, it must cut down on the number of entrants quite considerably.

Why Fly To Australia

Not only is Australia an excellent choice for a long holiday, a lot of people in the UK have got long lost relatives over there, I know I've got some that came over a few years ago, but we haven't taken the trip to go back. One day perhaps - if I do go, a must see for me would be Steve Irwin's crocodile zoo. He was a legend.

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Moving House - Van Hire

Source: hazel eyes
Wednesday 3rd February 2010, 2:26pm

Moving house is one of the most stressful tasks we have to do. Here are some tips to make it a bit easier.

Packing Up

1. Plan ahead. Get some sturdy cardboard boxes, Styrofoam, and extra padding to protect valuable items that can easily break.

2. Pack one room at a time. Pack stuff inside the room wherever possible. Also, make an inventory things which need to be moved and tick them off once packed.

3. Put heavy items inside small boxes. Use as small a box as possible for heavy items to save weight. Using a larger box just encourages adding more to it to stop it moving around, thus increasing the overall weight.

4. Invest in moving boxes and bubble wrap. These are indispensable when it comes to packing fragile or awkward items.

Van Hire or Removals Company?

The decision whether to hire a van and move yourself or spend the extra and get in a removals firm partly depends on if you've got any big or specialist items to move.
If so, it is probably best to get in the professionals, but make sure they have the appropriate tools, equipment, and facilities to insure that these items do not get damaged while in storage or while in transport.

In the end whether a removals company or a small man and van moving outfit does the removals, get some references and do a bit of research to make sure there are no surprises. White van man has got a bit of a bad reputation, but there are some good ones about which may well offer better value for money than the big firms.

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As Easy As Falling Off A Bike

Source: hazel eyes
Thursday 28th January 2010, 3:45pm

My other half got his knee down at the weekend. Unfortunately it was followed by his elbow and shoulder.

The other half accompanied a friend to Ocean BMW in Plymouth at the weekend whilst he got his bike serviced. They rode back to Exeter over Dartmoor to make their rideout a bit more interesting.

The BMW was going well under the speed limit, so my hubby decided to overtake and subsequently waited for him in a layby. After a chat and saying bye bye, he went to get back on the GSX, overbalanced it and had a lie down. Luckily the engine bars did their job and only the brake lever was broken. Slightly red faced they both managed to pick it up and went on their way.

Ooops.

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Flights To Australia

Source: hazel eyes
Monday 25th January 2010, 2:41pm

Australia is far bigger than I had imagined. It is the sixth largest country on the world - 50% bigger than Europe.

Many Brits fly to Australia, either as a long haul holiday or to emigrate and its not hard to see why.

Australia has the lowest population density in the world - two people per square km and more than 85% of Australians live within 50km of the 50,000 kilometres of coastline. Its mainland is the largest island and the world's smallest, flattest continent.

If a flight to Brisbane is your preferred option, Brisbane airport is 13km from the city centre. There is also regular transport to the Gold Coast throughout the day and night. Brisbane's climate is suitable for outdoor activities, but there are also plenty of other places to go to soak up Brisbane's culture such as the museum, gallery and a number of historic buildings.

A flight to Melbourne brings you to a city which boasts some of Australia's finest cuisine, fashionable shopping, cafes, sports stadiums and much more. For a day out with the family, there are a number of interactive museums and galleries, outdoor activities or get to know the animals at Melbourne zoo.

When travelling to Australia, taking a flight to Sydney is perhaps the most popular option. It is surrounded by beautiful beaches, World Heritage areas and nearby to the excellent wine regions of New South Wales. Sydney also offers a world class education system which welcomes overseas students.

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Valentines Day - Flowers Or A Poem?

Source: hazel eyes
Thursday 21st January 2010, 4:09pm

Valentines Day has lots of traditions. Sending flowers is one, but for the more creative of thought, writing a poem is sure to impress.

Origins of Valentines Day

Valentines Day has its origins back in the days of the Roman Empire when Emperor Claudius II was having problems recruiting for the Roman army, so decided to ban engagements and marriages. Valentine and others continued to marry people in secret, but he was jailed and died on February 14th. It is thought that the tradition of sending gifts or flowers on Valentines Day may have started when he himself left a farewell note to the jailers daughter on the day of his death, signed "your Valentine".

Later, Pope Gelasius decreed that February 14th would be called St Valentines Day in his honour. It gradually became a tradition to send flowers, a gift or a poem on Valentines Day. The following is a verse of an old traditional children's song:-

Good morning to you, valentine;
Curl your locks as I do mine ---
Two before and three behind.
Good morning to you, valentine.

Valentines Day Flowers

These days it is traditional to send a partner, parents, grandparents or even friends flowers or chocolates. If the giver is a bit of a genius with words, a poem might be composed (or use the internet). Twelve red roses are the epitamy of romantic flowers to send, but there are cheaper alternatives for those a bit strapped for cash.

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