Pumpkin picking

This year I did try to grow a crop of pumpkins ready for Halloween however they did not really turn out to be much a bit small really! So this weekend I took the kids to a local farm that was having a pumpkin day which turned out to be a lot of fun! I packed up the kids with their new winter wellies and hats and scarves ready to have some fun on the farm.

There were lots of fun and games for the whole family whilst I took the kids around the games my wife had a lot of fun at the cookery demonstrations and food tastings, all in all it was a great day out plus we came home with some really big pumpkins which we will tackle later on this week while the kids are off school.

 

Pumpkins

Pumpkins

Picture courtesy of Wildcat Dunny

 

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October 24, 2011 by in Family, Weekends

Doing something good

I like to think of myself as a helpful person, helping people out when I can also donating my time when I have some to spare, which is normally helping at the kids school events and such like. Last night I donated some of my blood! I have been a blood donor for the past ten years donating pretty much every year, racking up a number of donations since I started when I was at University.

It’s really easy to do and doesn’t take up much of my time and really it doesn’t hurt, but what donating blood does do is save many lives. When I was at University someone from the NHSBT came round on an open day to try and attract new donors, out of my halls, I was the only one to sign up and start donating, because many of my roommates were too scared/lazy however I have never looked back.

I would urge anyone able to give blood, to do so, there are some criteria to giving blood, however that is always changing in the hope of encouraging more and more people to donate much needed blood.

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October 18, 2011 by in Blood donation

Options on blocking porn on your computer

As a father to young children who use the internet I was glad to see that four of the UK’s internet providers have vowed to make customers ‘opt in’ to view porn. Although I have parental controls on my house computer which the children use, I will be able to also choose yes or no to whether I want to view adult content or not when I set up.

As I also have my own laptop which the children no never to touch (sticky fingers and expensive kit don’t mix) I only have to worry about the house computer and this new option will give me some piece of mind. At the moment my boys are fairly young and probably (I hope) won’t know what it is they are accessing it is nice to know they can’t access it by ‘accident’.

On another note the government is showcasing a site which will act as a hub for parents who wish to report any content, clothing or advertising they believe inappropriate for children. The site www.parentport.org.uk is run by Ofcom, the Press Complaints Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority. As the father of boys I’m not too bothered about some things on TV however I do monitor their programmes and do stop them watching certain ones such as X Factor, but that’s more because I hate that show!

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October 11, 2011 by in Family, Technology

Back to the summer this weekend

So after a week at work suffering unusually high temperatures for this time of year, I did get to enjoy it this weekend with the family. The beginning of October on Saturday saw the hottest October in a century which meant this weekend many of us were able to enjoy weather we were wanting over summer.

In typical Yorkshire style we were only really privy to sunshine on Saturday rather than the whole weekend, but never mind, we as a family made the most of it with the kids, enjoying time at the park and plenty of outdoor fun and games in the garden. And of course like every other person in the neighbourhood we had a BBQ which actually was only the second one of the year!

I read that the weather now will take a turn for the worst, according to doom mongers the Daily Mail were will be in line for snow and a hurricane by the end of the week, bravo! Apparently northern England and Scotland will see the end of another hurricane, hurricane Ophelia. If the weather does get a bit dicey this coming weekend, my garden should be okay, on Sunday I did clear out a lot of rubbish from the garden and did get a few overgrown bushes trimmed down to a manageable size so too much damage won’t be caused.

I’m hoping we won’t have too much bad weather this early on, the drive home from work is already starting to be a pain, with the night’s drawing in, couple that with bad weather makes it a bit of a nightmare, plus the wife said its half term soon and we need to be entertaining the darlings for a week too! I am sure they only just went back to school, didn’t they?

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October 3, 2011 by in Family, Weather, Weekends

Applying for Car or Van Insurance

Overview

Insuring your car or van is a legal requirement. Failing to insure your vehicle can lead to a police fine, points being added to your driving licence or, in extreme cases, a prison sentence. You can apply for car insurance easily online or through specialised insurance brokers. Before you can do this, however, you will need to make sure you have all the necessary details to hand and ensure that your car or van meets all the requirements.

Necessary Information for Your Car Insurer

The first basic pieces of information to give to your insurer is the car or van make and model, the registration plate, your postal address and name, details of your existing or previous car insurer, the location where you park your vehicle, details of any additional drivers for the vehicle, the typical use to which your vehicle will be put (social occasions, taxi purposes etc.), the estimated distance the vehicle will cover annually and the details of any driving offence convictions or fines you have had in the past.

Legal Issues

Legally, any used car or van over 3 years old needs to have undergone a MOT. Your insurer will ask to see a copy of your MOT certificate asserting your vehicle’s roadworthiness.

Further, you should inform you insurer of any modifications to your car or van. This is legally referred to as ‘utmost good faith’, meaning you are obliged to inform your insurer even if they do not ask for information.

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November 25, 2010 by in Family Vehicles

My new phone & review: Samsung Omnia 7

With the ground-breaking Windows Phone 7 OS having been just released, this Samsung Omnia 7 review would expect nothing but the best from the hardware Samsung put forward to support the powerful features of Windows Phone 7.

There is no reason to be disappointed, that’s for sure.  This cutting edge phone comes with Samsung’s amazing super AMOLED screen – to the tune of 4 inches – and the difference in quality compared to, say, the HTC HD7 is surprising.  To that you can add a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording that delivers stunning photographs and video recordings, underlined by the fantastic screen.

Otherwise all the essential hardware features are included, with connectivity via HSDPA, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and 3.5 mm headphone jack.

One problem with the latest and greatest Windows Mobile 7 phones are that there is not much to differentiate them, because Microsoft keeps such tight control over the OS interface.  What you are really looking for is a solid phone with sleek design aspects and a decent screen, and here the Samsung Omnia 7 delivers.

Samsung Omnia 7 deals, however, are not great for now.  You will have to fork out at least £35 a month over 24 months to get this phone free of charge.  Cash prices are around £500.  This phone is not in the club of cheap mobile phones for sure, but if you are happy to go for contract mobile phones at £35 a month and up, the Samsung Omnia 7 provides the sort of value you get for being on the cutting edge.

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November 25, 2010 by in Technology

A Quick Guide to New York

One of a kind, New York is a prime example of what makes the United States a great country.  New York is unique amongst major cities all around the world, and not just thanks to the tall buildings.  It is a dynamic hub of arts, entertainment and money.

It is a city that that never sleeps and that moves at a relentless pace.  The centre of New York has always been the little island called Manhattan, but there is also plenty to see and do in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.  However it is Manhattan that was first settled by Dutch adventurers in the 1620s.

New York is well known as possibly the most multicultural city in the world, similar to London.  In fact its residents come from a long list of 170 countries, and speak a mix of 130 languages.  People still continue to flock to New York from all over the world and from within the US itself.

There is so much to do and see in this city, it is virtually impossible to experience everything in a single trip.  You will find everything you could possibly expect from a city in New York, be it nightlife, arts and culture or spectacular architecture.  As an English speaking city, New York is very accessible to tourists from all over.

New York does have its challenges, but it has a history of overcoming these and has a spectacular future ahead of it.  It is always changing and is one city in which a tourist can spend weeks without a moment of boredom.

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November 25, 2010 by in Travel