“we bought g/d some of it for xmas she was 15 mths at the time and she has played constantly with them, from vet to fire station, mansion to garage the figures are of a good size so small children can grip them and too big to put in mouth and choke on although she has tried little monkey now she is 18 mths and by following my lead she is interacting with them be it knocking on the door and answering it to taking babies to the loo! LOVE IT” jollyj

HappyLand is a place where children’s imagination can run wild and ELC offer a range of fabulous buildings, characters, animals and vehicles from this great range. With HappyLand toys children can build a collection that can be added to over time to create an imaginary town and learn about all walks of life.

The HappyLand Ready to Play Village Set offers a great starter set to introduce your child to HappyLand and includes a cottage, doctor’s surgery, farmers’ market, a cafe and lots of people and accessories.

Age: 1-5 years.

I have lots of things to blog about, but today I just have to write about our experience in Nashville.  We arrived at our hotel on a Saturday afternoon.  The place was packed with people.  At first GP and I were too busy signing in and sorting out our luggage.  But all was revealed as we entered the lift and I noticed  3 very young children fully made up, hair styled, and wearing sparkly dresses.  One tiny dot took one look at me and told her mother’ I don’t want all these people in the lift with me’.  We had entered the world of Celebrity Kids Pageants.

I since have done some research on this phenomena.  The blurb describes the events as ‘It’s your time to shine’ and can involve girls from 0 – 16 years old and boys from 0 – 6years. After the initial shock I decided to observe what was going on.  It seemed to be a family event with bemused Dads and elder boys following in the wake of their precious infants all dolled up from top to toe.  One little girl in full make-up had perfectly French manicured toes and finger, a sparkly heeled sandals, a cute but seductive tight fitting dress and dyed auburn hair. Her mother watched on with pride and was updating her as to her next appearance on stage.

The following day when they had all gone home, I found a pamphlet on the Pageant.  It read quite well as it stipulated that all participants would win a prize (a toy), minimal makeup was encouraged and that children would be judged by their natural behaviour.  There were loads of categories to enter but by golly each one cost the parent at least $20 and that did not include the initial payment of $200 plus and paying for accommodation at a 4 star hotel.  One father was heard telling his wife that the money they had spent that weekend would have given the whole family a two week holiday.

I get the feeling that it’s the mothers who really enjoy these events. All I can remember is being appalled by seeing these young children being dressed up to look like mini adults. Did the children enjoy the experience?  Maybe but I also saw many behaving badly, crying or just confused.  Not my sort of thing at all.

Lorna

This is a fairly new launch and it contains twice as much vitamin E as olive oil therefore is very, very good for your skin. It is rich in essential fatty acids more thatn 80% including omega 9 and 6. It is easily absorbed and works wonders on skin including problem skin ie acne and restores the skins pH balance.

This oil was sent to me in a little bottle with dispenser, it can be used neat and have tried it on cuticles is very moisturising for dry and damaged nails, it is also lovely to put few drops in the bath. Any ladies who have given birth it is supposed to be very good at diminishing stretch marks, but I cannot vouch for that! Although it is derived from nuts it is completely safe for anyone with nut allergy and is non allergenic, it is even safe enough to baby’s skin.

This really is the rolls royce of moisturising oils, and like any good oil if used regularly on the face it can diminish fine lines and wrinkes. I would say be very careful of using near the eyes if, like myself, you have sensitive skin and eyes as any oil will irritate that delicate area.

I would say it is well worth a try. Further information can be found on www.douvalls.com. It is not cheap as you would imagine, but not too bad and can be bought in travel size for only £12 which is a good size to try.

Anne

Not wanting my daughter to go through the hardships my husband and I went through during the early years of our marriage without any help from parents, we have done everything we can to support my daughter and son-in-law from helping with a deposit on their first home, providing free childcare, clothes, shoes, nappies and baby milk etc. I gave up my full-time career to care for my one year old granddaughter and am now self employed fitting small contracts in around childcare which has worked very well and I’m delighted that I’m looking after my granddaughter.

As an HR professional, I can foresee him being sacked during his probationary period. They already cannot make their mortgage payment this month because of his absence although my daughter has informed them and made alternative arrangements. She also arranged for him to see the GP. My own father suffered depression throughout his life following the war but the effect this had on myself and our family was profound. He too could not hold down a job for very long and the financial effects were significant for the family. I grew up resenting my father for this. I have endured a number of significant episodes during my life and threw myself into my work as a coping mechanism and have always been financially independent. I realise that not everyone can react in this way and I’m ashamed to say that that I am overwhelmed with anger towards my son in law rather sympathy for his situation.

I keep reminding myself that this is their problem not mine but this has ruined Christmas for me (although I made sure the family did not see this) and is eating away at me. I feel that I have no time for my son-in-law now, but I dearly want to support my daughter through this but don’t know how to.

A: My heart goes out to you. Depression is a terrible illness, affecting not just the sufferer but the family too, as you have plenty of cause to know.

Let that personal experience come to your aid now. You understand, as others can’t, just how disabling this illness can be. Everyone finds a different way of coping – or not coping, and those around the sufferer have to do this, too. Your daughter is walking a tightrope, trying to maintain her husband’s equilibrium by not crossing him. It’s understandable.

It seems clear that your son-in-law needs professional help. His GP is the first stop. The latter may recommend a specialist – but whatever is decided, he’ll be getting medical advice, and that’s vital, because he’ll be helped to find the best ways to ‘manage’ his illness – for example how to recognise what sets off his attacks.

It’s hard for you to disassociate yourself from the effects of his illness, especially with your own unhappy memories to haunt you – but try to be patient – remember they’re the symptoms, not the person.

You’re doing all you can by being a loving support for your daughter – continue to do that, because she needs you very much – and so, if he could express it, does your son-in-law.

Recently my mum came up with the idea of taking the baby out, but she won’t allow it and she won’t allow my brother (baby’s father) to leave the house with the baby to bring him to us. My mum won’t stop crying and thinks my brother doesn’t care about her because he won’t put his foot down. I’m the one who has to calm my heartbroken mum down. Should I say something to my brother or his wife or will I cause more trouble? What do I say to my mum when she’s in a state feeling depressed and unwanted? I’m only 23 and I don’t want to make things worse for my brother but he needs to put a stop to this. Please give me your advice.

A: This is one of those times when everyone needs to sit down together and talk – calmly and quietly, without accusations. Everyone needs to say what they feel, get their anxieties off their chest without blaming anyone else – no shouting, no temper, no resentment. And everyone needs to listen – to put themselves in the other person’s place and imagine how it would feel.

Because, reading your letter, here’s what seems to me to have been happening:

Your brother’s wife was probably anxious when she married him that her two children be loved and accepted, not just by him, but as part of the whole family. Of course she was. That’s natural. It’s sadly common for step-children to find it hard to fit in – and not all families are as loving and welcoming as yours. She was no doubt anxious that her children themselves would feel happy and settled, too.

She was probably just relaxing about all of this when the baby came into the picture. Would your brother – and all of you – still love her children just as much when one of your own flesh and blood came along? It must have crossed her mind – it’s human nature.

Then the baby was born. You and your mum went to see him and made a big fuss. Of course you did – he’s lovely and you were thrilled.

So up popped the worries in full force. Suddenly she was terrified that the baby would usurp her own children. She’s a new mum – her hormones were raging. Her emotions were in a mess. She wasn’t thinking rationally – she had a knee-jerk reaction and banned you from seeing the baby.

You and your mother were outraged – of course you were. You know you haven’t changed towards her children.

Perhaps your brother tried to reason with her, so she had a row with him. Of course she did. All new mums will have tearful rows at the drop of a hat about stuff they wouldn’t even give headroom to under normal circumstances.

And don’t forget new dads – they aren’t on an entirely even keel, either. He was probably outraged in his turn that she would think that he, and all of you – might treat her children differently. So he fought back – of course he did.

So now there are three disgruntled sides – you and your family, your brother, and his wife. Of course everyone is unhappy – you all feel misunderstood, outraged and insulted. But no-one is the baddy here.You’re all dwelling on who said/did what to whom. You’re stuck in the past. Your brother has the added pain of being divided between the woman he loves and the family he loves. He can’t put a stop to it, because it will take all of you, working together to do that.

This is the point art which you have to be you’re the close and loving family you know you really are. If you sit down together with love and understanding, you can sort this out before it becomes a tragedy; before it destroys your brother’s marriage and your mother’s peace of mind. Do it now.

Finally… this woman has not once called/texted to see how the baby is.  Her son has told my daughter that she has told him she will “take my daughter to the cleaners, it’s what i do!” and that she will take everything from her (and by that she means from her grandchild too).  Any advice appreciated.

A: I’m assuming, from your letter, that after your daughter and her boyfriend split up there was no legal custody agreement made – that in fact they’re informally sharing the custody of your granddaughter and that social services have arranged access visits for the father. In other words, the couple have not gone to court so far and would prefer not to.

I sympathise with your wish as a mum, to help your daughter as much as you can, but the first thing I want to do is reassure you both. There are two reasons for this. First, grandparents have absolutely no legal rights at all as regards their grandchildren, so this woman doesn’t even have right of access. Your daughter and her boyfriend, as the parents, have all the rights between them. This means that they need to sit down and work it out together. He’s in a tough position – he’s caught between his ex and his difficult mother, so your daughter is going to have to try to persuade him to stand up for himself – you say he agrees with her, so that’s a start. What’s more, your daughter could suggest that to avoid unpleasantness, he could make his visits at her house, not his mother’s.

If you’re worried that his mother will persuade him to try for custody, then there’s even more reason for them to start talking together as parents to work out what’s best for the three of them – and especially for their daughter. A court would need a very serious reason for taking a child away from its mother in any case.

This woman is a bully – and bullies are cowards. If your daughter and her ex stick together on this – and they can if they really want to – she’ll back down.

That’s point one. Point two is that potty training, in the global scheme of things, really doesn’t matter. I know your daughter hates the idea of her baby being forced into it – and I realised it’s more than that – it’s the whole idea of anyone she doesn’t like or trust having anything at all to do with her helpless child. But in two or three years’ time your granddaughter will be clean and dry and it won’t matter a bit how she came to learn it. In fact, no-one has ever come up with a foolproof way of potty training, although a lot of people claim to have.

So persuade your daughter to stop worry about that aspect, and the immediate cause for dissension will go away. Tell her to be serene about it. It won’t mean his mother has won – it will mean that your daughter writes it off as irrelevant.

Tell her to save her objections for things which might really matter long term. Because if things of serious concern happen down the line, then your daughter can go to court to ban this female’s access to the child – or even to get custody herself.

“If the bees disappeared from the surface of the globe, than man would only have four years of life left, no more bees, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

Whether he did in fact say that, there is evidence now that the huge decline in the UK of pollinating and nectar loving insects, could well have an enormous impact on us.

If you think about the foods we buy everyday, somewhere along the chain insects are involved, from apples, pears, strawberries to coffee and chocolate spread.

We can all make a difference, just by thinking about the sorts of flowers we are planting in our gardens.

Insects need to be able to collect their goodies, so a flower that is a single rather than a double bloom gives them easy access.

Annuals that we buy in their thousands every Summer in some cases have little or no access, they are grown for their ‘blowsy’ look, curled tight double petals, such as double dahlias, double begonias, double marigolds and many more.

Very often the sorts of plants we see in our parks and formal gardens are not insect friendly, they are grown for their bold colours and ‘wow’ factor.

There is a campaign to get authorities such as ‘Britain in Bloom’ to rethink what they are looking for when judging our city councils displays.

They should be encouraged to be planting sustainable gardens, to benefit us all, the insects to feed themselves who will then feed us by successful pollinating.

So when you next go to your garden centre have a look for the pollinating logo, and entice these wonderful insects to your garden.

This is a link to the RHS list of plants. http://thehorticulturalchannel.info/rhs-pollinators-plant-list-2/

Jane

Around 4 years ago, out of the blue after a trip to the Doctor’s because of ongoing tiredness – which I thought was partly due to age, and partly due to my demanding job – however, it was a big shock when she told me I was type 2 diabetic! I was quite devastated, I have never been overweight, or sedentary, but I do love chocolate! This was the last thing I had expected, I always thought I had led a comparatively healthy life, and neither parent was diabetic.

The only way to deal with this was to face it as a challenge and a chance to set myself on a whole new path to try and keep the beast at bay, so to speak! This meant an overhaul of my life style and diet. A big key to T2 diabetes is exercise on a regular basis. I must admit that from time to time I have to reassess, as I am prone to let things slip and eat too many special treats!

I retired in April last year, my husband who sadly was suspected of having Parkinsonism at the age of 59 retired from his work as an optometrist almost a year earlier. Since retiring we try to keep active, not hard with a 20 month old grandson on hand!

We try to walk quite regularly, not long demanding walks but around 30 – 60 minutes a time, and I have been worrying about whether slow walking is really beneficial to me, since my husband cannot walk quickly now.

The reason I mention all of this is because a newsletter I received from Robin today. Robin is also a T2 and has a really good website where he adds diabetic recipes (he is quite an accomplished chef) from his home in France. Today on Robin’s blog on he had written on ‘fast slow walking’following a debate he had heard yesterday on Radio 4, you may also have heard it. However, what intrigued me from the two opposing views he mentioned on the subject was this…..‘The other thinks slow walking one of life’s great pleasures–helping poets write and thinkers to think.

(And here – helping grandparents spend time with their grandchildren!)’ – followed by a picture of two grandparents walking with their toddler grandchild. It reminded of how wonderful is the time spend with taking Caeden (20 months) for walks, and how he loves going to our local Wildlife Sanctuary and seeing the ‘caterpillars’ along the way (they are map markers). I feel sure many Grannynetters will have similar experiences to share and I would love to hear of them.

Robin has told me that he is very happy for me to share his website address http://robin-ellis.net. It is really worth a look, and can be quite inspirational whether you are diabetic or not.

Have a good week one and all, the sun is shining today, a reminder that Spring is around the corner.

Kathleen

For an extra touch… why not try pancakes filled with red berries and drizzled with a homemade coulis. Encourage the your grandchildren to pop their own fruit into their pancake and then gently roll it up into a little cone. Then simply serve with Kelly’s of Cornwall ice cream and eat – scrummy!

Here’s a delicious pancake recipe, which is guaranteed to have all the family asking for seconds.

Pancakes with fruit coulis and Kelly’s of Cornwall Clotted Cream & Blackcurrant Ice Cream

Ingredients

50g caster sugar

2 eggs

200g Flour

600ml milk

50g butter melted

Pinch of salt

150g strawberries/raspberries

Kelly’s of Cornwall Clotted Cream & Blackcurrant Ice Cream

Method

1. Gently simmer 150g strawberries/raspberries until soft. Allow the mixture to cool and press into a sieve over a bowl to remove seeds and pulp. Leave in the fridge to completely cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl or food processor, sieve the flour and salt together, add the eggs, then the sugar and milk. Beat together with the melted butter for a minute until the batter is thick enough to pour.

3. Melt a knob of butter in a non stick frying pan and heat on a moderate flame. Use a ladle to pour out a little batter into the pan, and cook each pancake for about a minute on each side. Test your flipping skills, or alternatively use a spatula.

4. Have ready a warm plate in the oven to place the finished pancakes to keep warm, dusting each with a little caster sugar.

5. Drizzle the coulis over the pancakes and finish with a scoop of Kelly’s of Cornwall Clotted Cream & Blackcurrant Ice Cream.

Kelly’s of Cornwall ice cream is the only genuine ice cream that is made in Cornwall and available nationally – find it in your local supermarket, or if you’re heading down to Cornwall, you won’t miss the many parlours that stock Kelly’s of Cornwall ice cream in your favourite seaside towns.

Made in Bodmin, Kelly’s uses Cornish clotted cream and Cornish whole milk to give a velvety smooth texture. The Clotted Cream & Blackcurrant Ice Cream is made with whole blackcurrants for a creamy, tangy flavour.

Kelly’s of Cornwall Blackcurrant Clotted Cream Ice Cream is available from Waitrose, Coop and Tesco stores nationwide, £3.99 for a 1 litre tub.

Take your time and discover why the simple pleasures are the best at www.kellysofcornwall.co.uk

At the age of 50, with a dodgy knee, back and ankle after 37 years on skis, I decided to try “Bumps for Boomers” for myself to see if it could change the way I ski. Created by former Apple exec, Joe Nevin, the new course, harnessing gravity and balance, is taught primarily on short 98 cm boards by instructors in the boomer age range. “You can’t take a 30-year-old instructor and expect them to know what it’s like to be 50, 60, 70 or even 80,” explained Nevin, who visits each class in rotation to reinforce the tuition. “One of our skiers is in his 80s, he’s come back three years running with B4B and I told him if he comes when he’s 85 he’ll get it for free.”

With my centre of balance totally compromised the first day, I had no choice but to obey every instruction and give up all my old, handy habits. All four of us in the class wobbled and rattled our way down the first slope, suffering ankle angst and thigh jelly as we strove to find the stable “sweet spot” on the stunted skis. First thoughts were: How on earth is this going to make skiing easier?

Miraculously, by only the second run, brain and body had subconsciously conspired to re-establish stability and the rest of the day was spent listening to instructor Bob Mattice (58) as he introduced us to both the technique and the fun of skiing on short boards, gradually progressing to steeper and bumpier terrain. The philosophy behind the short skis is that they are a “truth serum”, revealing every microscopic error so that the instructor can put it right.

The four-day course even includes homework – seven pages of tips and diagrams that first night, designed to help us understand the make-up of moguls. Nevin approaches skiing in the same way he did IT at Apple, with a scientific but simplifying attitude. One of the best things I learned to counteract double diamond despair on day two was his “green, blue, black line” strategy.

With maps and onhill demos, he and Mattice showed that turbulent trough-skiing is the black line; skiing the sides of moguls is the blue line; and mogul summit skiing is the green line. By dialing up this topographical tactic I could now reinvent even the steepest double D as a green or a blue run just by a change in perception. “You can be the CEO of your own skiing,” Nevin confirmed. The confidence that comes from feeling in control of the mountain is immeasurable – particularly when you are on 98cm skis! Amazingly, by day’s end I didn’t want to give them up and seriously doubted my ability on regular skis.

The essence of what I learned could have been taught on longer skis. But using the short boards made me feel it much more and adopt it quicker – short boards take no prisoners! I have had many day lessons over the years but the four-day format, starting on boards and then progressing to 142 cm skis for the last two days really made the message sink in. My mantra became “tall, tip and turn” as I swirled down the bumps on flat skis rather than edges, using the gradient and gravity to make my moves. “Balletic not ballistic,” said Mattice who advocated sedate skiing with no drastic movements. This was the exact opposite to my former mogul-munching method – a sequence of fall-line bunny hops in an anaerobic, bobsled ride. Not very sustainable for my old age! I am now a B4B believer and will try to maintain the method wherever I ski.

Nevin regularly updates his 300-page website (www.bumpsforboomers.com) with tips, techniques and fitness pointers to aid the aging skier. In the future he hopes to develop his ideas via a B4B ski school franchise, helping boomers worldwide to stay in skiing.

If you go:

• Fly to Denver and then take Grayline minibus to Aspen www.grayline.com/grayline/info/dest.colorado.aspx

• Choose Sunday arrival and Friday departure to avoid traffic snarl-ups on I-70

• Book Bumps for Boomers at www.bumpsforboomers.com/ or email Joe Nevin on nevin@bumpsforboomers.com

• Stay at Fasching Haus, Frias Properties, two blocks from Aspen Mountain Gondola www.friasproperties.com/sitepages/pid68.php

• Check out Aspen Central Reservations for packages on 1-800-456-0897 https://bumpsforboomers.bookaspensnowmass.com/

• Rent from Four-Mountain Sports for convenient ski concierge service to all Aspen hills www.aspensnowmass.com/onmountain/rentals/dandesports.cfm

• Eat at Elevation for “New American” fine dining; Brunelleschi’s for best gluten free pizza anywhere; L’Hostaria for topnotch Italian including lobster tagliatelle.

• Après Ski at Ajax for top truffle fries; J-Bar for locals’ scene; St Regis and Limelight Lounge for live music; Elks Club for cheap cuisine and friendly faces.

• Shop at Suzie’s Consignment Store for second-hand Gucci and Prada.

Aspen Extras:

• Heated, snow-free sidewalks around base station and best hotels;
• Smart card, hands-free liftpass system with option to attach credit card for easy spending;
• Free coffee at Aspen Mountain base;
• Free cider and ski-in water fountain at Guest Services, top of Aspen Mountain Gondola;
• Ski concierge at gondola base for overnight storage and daytime shoe cubby – free with Four-Mountain Sport rentals;
• Free technique and tactical advise, weekly tips and ski fitness info at www.bumpsforboomers.com;
• Free ski bus to all four hills and après ski spots;
• Deep relaxation chair massage in Sundeck Lodge;
• MP3 docks in red gondolas on Aspen Mountain.

by Louise Hudson, Travel and ski writer

E: snow.business@sc.rr.com

W: www.tourismgurus.com

This article is provided by www.silvertraveladvisor.com – the online source of travel reviews, information and advice for mature travellers.