I love paper books but I wouldn't be without my Kindle

Recently I wrote all about my love for paper books, and it is true that when it comes to reading I do much prefer a physical book that I can hold in my hand and enjoy the reading experience. 

But I also love my faithful Kindle, and it definitely has an important part to play in my reading life. In particular I get a lot of use out of my Kindle when we go away on holiday. I love the fact that I can bring along a huge selection of my books including old favourites, easy reads and non fiction so I always have something to read to suit every mood.

I always have a lovely time the week before a holiday browsing through the free Kindle books on Amazon and looking through the Amazon Prime Reading selection to line up some holiday reading. I very rarely buy a Kindle book as I'd rather spend the money on a physical book, and yet I never seem to run out of Kindle books to read as there are so many free ones available, especially if you are a Prime member. You just need to keep checking through the free Kindle books or hunt down classic books which are out of copyright. I never get through all the books that I download, so I have plenty left for my return!

The Kindle is so small and light that it's easy to take out and about with me in my handbag, and I can read it while I'm doing things around the house - stirring dinner, brushing my teeth, even eating. Because my Kindle is getting quite old now I'm not too worried about leaving it unattended in a beach bag if I'm in the water, or in the car while I'm collecting the children. I also enjoy the privacy aspect - people can't judge me on my book choice if I'm reading in public!

Photo credit Maarten van den Heuvel via Unsplash

It might not be the same experience for me as reading a physical book but I do love all the benefits!

Plastic on the beach

I feel very lucky when it comes to plastic rubbish on my local beaches here in West Sussex. When I'm on the beach I very rarely see any rubbish. I mainly see pieces of rope and twine that I assume are linked to the fishing industry, or recent rubbish like bottles and cups that have been dropped by visitors. I think that locals and the council are very good at keeping the beaches clean. 

So I was sad on our recent holiday to Mauritius to see just how much plastic there was on the beach. It wasn't larger items like plastic bottles, as these were cleared away regularly by the resort staff. But buried in the sand and caught up in the clumps of seaweed there were hundreds of pieces of coloured plastic, some of them very tiny. It was mainly on the upper beach area rather than in the sea itself but it had clearly come from the sea and looked as though it had been there for some time.

I couldn't stop myself from picking up as much as I could while walking along the beach, and Mia helped as well, roaming about with a discarded paper cup and collecting everything that she could find. It felt like a never ending job, although I did feel that by the end of our stay there was less plastic to be found. Nonetheless it was still an overwhelming feeling to think that I could collect so much plastic in just a few hours on a very small stretch of coastline.

Some of the larger plastic pieces I put in the bin, but I did bring a collection of small pieces back with me with the intention of creating some sort of art work with them. I've been inspired by similar things that I've seen online - have a look at my Pinterest board at the bottom of the post to see the sort of thing that I mean. 

On a related note a few companies have come to my attention recently that I thought I would mention, as they are all doing great things with recycled beach plastic waste.

Wyatt and Jack collect old and damaged inflatables and turn them into colourful upcycled bags as well as whole range of other products including purses and planters. They used to accept donations of old inflatable materials but it looks as though they have had to pause that for the time being as they were overwhelmed. I've got my eyes on one of the cosmetic pouches or purses.

Children love plastic beach toys for the beach but they are a huge source of plastic rubbish. Dantoy have created a new range called Blue Marine Toys which are made from recycled maritime materials. I love this range of sand and water toys, and although mine are getting a big older now I think that a set would make a great gift for new parents that haven't yet started a collection of beach toys.

Photo credit Dantoy.dk 

Finally this company keeps popping up on my Facebook - Waterhaul. They make some lovely glasses, sunglasses and other equipment from recycled ocean plastic products. You can get the glasses made up to your prescription and they seem quite reasonably priced, although it's been a while since I needed new glasses so I'm a bit out of touch with the process!

Here's my Beach Plastic Art Pinterest board of beach art using plastic that I'm hoping will inspire me to make something beautiful with the plastic that I have collected.

Young Voices 2022 at the O2 Arena

Last week we made our third trip to London to watch the Young Voices choir perform at the O2. In 2018 we watched Harry perform, in 2020 both children sang in a concert that they managed to sneak in just before the lockdown, and this year we took Harry along to watch while Mia performed with the choir.

This year marked the 25th Young Voices concert after the show was cancelled last year. This show had already been postponed twice from earlier in the year, so it was quite a relief to see it finally take place.

We arrived at the O2 early, so we took the tube over to Stratford for a walk around the Olympic Park and had dinner in the shopping centre. Then we joined the crowds of proud parents, relatives and friends, and made our way into the arena and found our seats. Our school was on the opposite side and we weren't able to get close enough to talk to Mia, but we could just about see her. We waved frantically and were pretty sure that she was waving back.

It was a great show as always. There was a stunning opening moment when the lights went out and you could see all the children waving little lights in the dark, before the show started with O Fortuna. The choir was accompanied by dancers, singers and musicians. The arena lighting was amazing and really complemented the performances, and when all the singers joined in with synchronised dance movement it looked fantastic across the arena. 

It amused me that most of the parents there were fully making the most of a night out without their children. There was constant traffic from the audience seats to the bar, people were coming back to their seats carrying trays of beer and full bottles of wine. The glass of wine that I had beforehand definitely helped my moves in the audience participation rave segment!

We had another brilliant night out watching the concert, and I'm quite sad that my children won't be taking part again as they move to the senior school. If your child ever has the chance to take part in a Young Voices concert then I'd absolutely recommend it, it's a brilliant experience for them.

The books that I read on holiday

When I'm packing for a holiday I always spend a lot of time deciding which books I'm going to take with me. Different types of holiday require different reading material, and on our recent beach holiday, bookended with twelve hour flights, I knew that I would want to take lots of easy light reading with me.

So today I'm sharing all the books that I read on holiday in case you are looking for some summer reading inspiration. I've included links to the Kindle versions of the books, because at the time I downloaded them all of these books were either free or part of the Amazon Prime Reading library.

The Saturday Morning Park Run - Jules Wake

I've only actually ever run a Parkrun once but I love the concept, and so this book stood out to me immediately. It's the story of Claire who lives for her job, but after she is signed off work with stress she discovers that there is much more to life. She befriends an active older lady and a handsome young man who has recently lost his own stressful job. They work together with the local community to set up a new park run in their area, and it's a really lovely story about finding the things that are really important, forming new and unexpected relationships with others, and creating a positive work life balance.

The House on Blackberry Hill - Donna Alward

This book forms part of one of my favourite easy reading genres which I call the "inherited house renovation romance". I'll soon be sharing a few of my recent reads with this theme - a young woman at a crossroads in her life unexpectedly inherits an old house in an idyllic location from an unknown relative. She arrives to prepare it for sale, meets a handsome young man who helps with the building works and in the process uncovers all sorts of family secrets. This book also features a paranormal twist, and although it was fairly predictable it was also an enjoyable light read. 

The Easy Life in Kamusari - Shion Miura

I really enjoyed this short book about Yuki Hirano, who has just left high school when his parents enrol him against his will in a forestry training programme in a remote mountain village. At first he feels like an outcast and attempts to run away back to the city, but after a short while he finds himself deeply connected to the community and the forests. It's a fairy tale story with a healthy dose of magic realism, a tale about living in harmony with nature and a really charming read. It's also has some really interesting information about the work of a forester and how forests are maintained.

The Story of Our Secrets - Shari Low

I've read a few books by Shari Low and always find then nice, easy reads with interesting characters and stories. This book switches between Colm who is dying of a brain tumour, and Shauna his wife several years after his death, as she and her close group of friends come to terms with his loss and their own complicated relationships. The characters have messy lives and I found them a bit difficult to relate to, but I enjoyed seeing how the story unfolded and how situations resolved themselves.

Dopamine Detox - Thibaut Meurisse

I'm very interested in the topic of dopamine addiction and how smartphones, social media and so on are designed to keep us hooked, overstimulating us and generally destroying our ability to focus. This short guide isn't particularly ground breaking, but it's a really good introduction to the topic and has some great tips for completing a successful dopamine detox, whether that's removing all distractions for a short period or just focussing on one or two areas of your life for the longer term. I like to read books like this from time to time to remind me that there is much more to life than scrolling, and that will hopefully give me a nudge in the right direction!

The stars in the Southern Hemisphere

Back in 2007 my husband and I travelled around Australia as part of an amazing honeymoon. It was our first visit to the Southern Hemisphere, and I thought that the only difference was that the seasons were reversed. We did notice that our view of the stars was amazing and quite different to the view that we had from home, but because I wasn't so knowledgeable about astronomy back then I thought that it was because we were visiting areas with low light pollution and so we could see more stars.

It's only more recently that I've learned more about how the sky looks different from the Southern Hemisphere. Although the lower levels of light pollution do make for a better view, from this part of the world there are more stars to see, including a much clearer view of the Milky Way as it sweeps across the sky.

We have recently returned from a week in Mauritius, and this time I was more prepared to make the most of any stargazing opportunities. It's a little disorientating at first when you look up to the sky. Even if you aren't that familiar with the stars at home I think that you still have a vague idea of where they are, and to look up and see a different sky can feel a little strange!

One of the most famous constellations that is only visible in the Southern Hemisphere, or sometimes in very southern parts of the Northern Hemisphere, is the Southern Cross, or Crux.

The Southern Cross constellation is quite a small constellation, and it's the constellation represented by the stars on the Australian flag. I managed to capture it in this photo above, although the fifth star is quite faint. Tilt your head slightly to the left and it's just to the right of the centre.

Another difference in the Southern Hemisphere is that the view of the moon appears upside down from what we are used to in the Northern Hemisphere. There's a really good explanation of why here - Does the moon look upside down in the Southern Hemisphere? I would have loved to have seen this, however unfortunately during our stay there was a new moon which didn't rise until much later in the night, and we never actually saw it! 

We looked out for the Southern Cross every night of our holiday, and this photo was taken on our last night as we said goodbye to it. I would love to see it again soon!

Travelling with older children

I've always loved to travel, and the children have been joining us on our travels around the world since they were very small. Obviously our travel abroad has been somewhat curtailed over the last couple of years, and we've just returned from our first long haul holiday in a long time - a wonderful week in Mauritius.

Something that I really noticed on this holiday was how much easier things have become now that the children are older.

When it comes to packing I just give them a list of clothes and they gather the items together for me. They pack their own toiletries (with a few reminders!) along with all the other things that need to join us - books, pencil cases, fidget toys and so on. This time I even got them to organise their own hand luggage and snacks - it's a long time since I had to prepare busy bags and little tubs filled with raisins!

We had good flight times for this holiday - two long night flights. Both children took themselves off to sleep when they were tired and slept almost the whole way, meaning that us adults could sleep too. I didn't even mind the babies that cried the whole way there and back as I was so grateful that they weren't mine to worry about!

I found that I could relax much more without having to constantly entertain the children. We sat by the pool or on the beach, and I could read my book while the children read or played on their tablets. They took themselves to the toilet if they needed it, and rinsed the sand off their own feet. They applied their own sun cream in the morning and washed their own hair in the evening.

We did a couple of sightseeing trips by taxi, and it was so nice not to have to worry about car seats. We also spent time snorkelling in the sea, and it was much more enjoyable now that the children can swim as well as I can. I was able to appreciate the fish myself instead of being constantly on alert!

We usually choose holiday destinations with a buffet meal setup as it works best for us. This was the first time that the children were confident enough to go up and help themselves to food, meaning that we could sit and enjoy our own dinner without having to constantly jump up and down to get them things. Then after dinner we were able to enjoy a drink in one of the bars, and we had some great family time chatting together. When they got restless we sent them off with a phone, and they amused themselves by taking videos of each other while still within our sight. 

These are all changes that have happened gradually, but it hasn't been until now that I've really noticed how all these things added up and what a positive difference it made to our holiday. I did love travelling with the children when they were smaller but it does make holidays much less stressful now that they are a bit older!

Daily wellbeing: What to do when stress strikes

This is a collaborative post

Stress is something that everyone must face during their daily routine. Each person will react to stress differently, and this reaction is what separates those that know how to deal with it correctly and those who do not. Therefore, the key to managing stress is not avoiding it completely but learning how to deal with it correctly.

A build-up of stress in your system can make you ill. That is why this article will offer advice on how to reduce stress for those that struggle when stress strikes.

Make A Stress Journal

The hardest part of dealing with stress is that it can slowly build. By the time you realise that something is wrong, the initial stressors are long gone. That is why you may benefit from keeping a stress journal. All it requires you to do is write down any times you feel stressed and what you were doing during that time. 

After a while, you should be able to find a common link between situations or people that you feel stressed around. Only then can you take the steps to avoid these situations or deal with them in a different way.

Photo credit Jess Bailey via Unsplash

Remove Yourself From The Stressor

Stress can come from any direction. You may be stressed in the face of work, traffic, or even a family member. Unfortunately, stress is a sensation that can cause us to act irrationally, and this behaviour can sometimes make the situation worse. 

Therefore, it might be necessary to remove yourself from the situation if you start to feel stressed. Taking yourself away for a few minutes gives you the chance to recover and think rationally once again. This means that you will be in a better frame of mind to tackle whatever is stressing you out.

Make A Healthy Change

As a human in the 21st century, it is impossible to stay away from every unhealthy life choice. Some of us are prone to a poor diet, a lack of exercise, alcohol use, or smoking, and these behaviours only get worse when you are stressed. While it may be impossible to cut out every bad habit, you may find it useful to attempt to remove at least one from your life. The positive outcome from the lack of something like alcohol will do your stress the world of good.

However, you may also find it beneficial to replace a negative habit with some more positive. Exercise is a safer option than smoking or junk food for relieving stress, so why not make a positive switch to help relax.

Photo credit Jenny Hill via Unsplash

Stay Off Social Media

Social media sites are full of information. Some of this data may make you feel positive; however, some of it can cause stress. If you have had a particularly stressful day, try staying away from social media until you feel like you have calmed down. Scrolling through posts is only going to exacerbate your mood, so make sure you keep it at arm’s length until you have dealt with your stress.

Summary

There are a lot of practices out there to help you reduce stress over time. However, if you want quicker relief, try out one of the solutions above.