Author: Maria Runs

First up, I was planning on hitting the January sales on January the first. A few times we have been in Bath over the new year, and have popped in to the city on the first of January to pick up some bargains. This year we flew back from Nice and then drove down to Southampton as there was football on. The plan was to get some lunch, Andy would go to the match and I would shop. No worries about the awful weather because there is a big shopping centre there. Hmm. Well, after the walk from where we parked to the town centre (in the pouring rain trying to hold our hoods over our heads) we wondered why it was so quiet. Yup, the shopping centre was shut. Luckily there were a few shops open- we got sandwiches from Boots and ate them in a shop doorway. Fun. Then I spent most of the time in Starbucks, which thankfully was open! I braved the rain to wander around a few shops- Boots were selling off Philosophy Christmas smellies cheap so I picked up a couple.

They smell so good! Won’t need any shower gel for a while now.

It was strange as we finally got home around half 7 I think- after leaving the apartment at about 7 in the morning- I forgot we had our suitcase to unpack!

I also got to unpack my tea! One of the stalls at the Christmas market was full of gorgeous scented loose leaf teas. I ended up buying 3- black tea with orange and chocolate, black tea with almonds, apples and cinnamon (and maybe rose petals? Not sure on the translation but the stuff I smelled was good), and rooibos tea with almonds, toffee, cocoa nibs and something else sweet. There was an offer for a free tea infuser ball (realised once I had bought them) so that is what is in the box.

Also greeting us were some lovely Christmas presents- as we left on Boxing day we ad just left everything in a bit of a mess. I was given some gorgeous things including Lush treats (including Sweetie Pie shower jelly <3 ) gorgeous hotel chocolat and montezuma chocolates, Disney DVD’s, fat face gloves and socks, lots of hand cream, teapigs tea, and baking book. It felt like Christmas all over again as we had to find homes for all our new bits.

My Mum got me some super cosy slippers (dread to think how old my old ones were) and bonus- because they are new and clean I can put my feet on the sofa!

I felt pretty stiff getting off the plane- I was limping along to passport control- it seems worse after I have been sitting still, but of course once it hurts running is out of the question. So instead of running I have been shopping to make up for the shut shops on Wednesday! (And to keep myself moving about)

Luckily I didn’t see many things in the sales- got some welly socks in Boots, some Christmas tea in TK Maxx, a dress in New Look (£11- bargain)  and the butterfly one from Dorothy Perkins (meant to be £12 but ended up being £9.80 or something as they were further discounting things- a crazy bargain). Although I found a dressing gown I liked but could not decide, went on the DP website and ended up ordering a couple more dresses.

Luckily I also had a big wardrobe clear out yesterday- making space for the new things!

I have also ordered a basic yoga DVD from amazon because I am going to get myself more flexible.

Hope you are all staying well in this awful weather- according to the weather it is meant to brighten up here this afternoon but it doesn’t look likely at the moment…

Hey peeps. I can’t believe that Christmas is over. I popped out to the shops this morning and came home to find this:

All our tree decorations on the table.

Anyway, to help me get over these sad times I shall reminisce about my holiday. One of the great things about having an apartment is that we could buy things in the supermarket and prepare food in the kitchen. We often tend to have picnic style meals when we are away (this roughly translates to some bananas, a baguette and some philadelphia to dip it in) but this time we had a fridge, a cooker etc, so we could expand our repertoire a bit. We did have plenty of meals revolving around bread and cheese with watercress/ spinach/ rocket salads. We also had some lovely soup a couple of evenings- so nice to be able to have something simple (and warming). We had some delicious breakfasts, including an almond croissant one day (my favourite).

We also managed to eat two massive bags of clementines. So sweet and tasty.

I was also very excited to find some special “Macaroons de Noel” in a supermarket. At the Christmas market they were selling them for over a Euro each, so this was much cheaper. And some of them were sparkly!

The sparkles would not catch the light that easily.

They were tasty too- especially the raspberry one and the lime one.

We also visited the Christmas markets most evenings. Sometimes just for a walk around, or for a hot chocolate. One evening I had a crepe with nutella. Yum. This picture is from Cologne, when I had the best invention ever– a crepe filled with marzipan and nutella. Seriously what an amazing combination.

On our final day my leg/ hip/ whatever it is was feeling fine, so after lots of gentle stretches I went for a gentle run along the seafront.

I stopped after 1.5 miles to look at the view. Our apartment was by the port, so it was gently downhill and then flat for the whole way.

Earlier on we had run further along, but that was enough for me. It was New Year’s Eve so Andy only had to work the morning, so after my shower and breakfast we headed off for a walk- along the sea wall, up to the gardens and waterfall for lovely views, then to the old town. We were going to get some ice cream, but when we stopped to get some the shop was shut. Boo. Anyway, that evening we walked back to the market and I had a hot chocolate which sort of made up for it!

Also, my hip was not a happy bunny after that. It was fine until the evening when we were walking and going up some steps I felt it “go”- up stairs seem to be the biggest problem. Anyway, a local place were on Groupon for sports massages, so have bought two sessions and will keep my fingers crossed that it helps. I am also going to not run this weekend and hope that a few more days rest will help.

Do you have a favourite holiday food? We are partial to sharing some ice cream, in fact I was looking through some old holiday photos on facebook and rather a lot of them are of me with some ice cream! It is something I rarely have at home though.

Hey everyone. I have a guest post for you all today collaboration with Kinetico all about appliances. I love the idea of a two drawer dishwasher- we have a slim one so it tends to get full pretty quickly, but I had not even heard of them- a great idea to be able to run half of it, or run sections at different temperatures. We are still yet to get on the slow cooker band wagon, but I suppose if we saw a good bargain in the January sales we might be tempted. Anyway, here it is:

With ever-hectic lives, we’re always keen to discover ways to make things easier. Here we take a look at some household appliances that are set to revolutionise the way we do things, and leave us wondering how we ever coped without them.

Cooking up a storm:

Most of us spend less time in our houses than families did a few decades ago; the simple fact is that our busy lives often prevent us from having the time, let alone the motivation, to cook a healthy meal from scratch. Imagine how lovely it would be to arrive home after a long day at work, to find your dinner waiting for you, piping hot and inviting? Well, that’s exactly how a crock-pot works. The evening meal (or any meal, for that matter) is prepared, popped into the pot, and left to do its magic. An evolutionary stage from the slow cooker, the crock-pot offers an unusual twist to the stationary counter-top models, in that the pot is removable. This means that you can use it to first brown food on the hob, and then put back in place for the remainder of the cooking. The timer can be set for anywhere between 30 minutes and 20 hours; when the time is up, the crock-pot will switch off, but will keep the food warm until it is ready to be served. Crock-pots can be used to cook a wide variety of meals and can even be used to dish up desserts, including bread pudding, sponges and crumbles. Already a huge hit over with our transatlantic friends, crock-pots are beginning to make a well-deserved name for themselves here, too.

Block salt to the rescue:

If you live in a home with hard water, you will know what a pesky, expensive nuisance it really is. Hard water is prevalent in many areas of the UK, and the term “hard” relates to its high mineral content, with the culprits usually being calcium and magnesium. In contrast, “soft” water has fewer minerals dissolved in it. When hard water is pumped around our homes, it leaves mineral deposits; when heated, these deposits (referred to as limescale) coat everything with a scaly substance, which clogs pipes and interferes with the efficiency of household appliances. Water softener units work by removing the offending minerals. Using block salt, hard tap water passes through the unit, and the meddlesome mineral ions are replaced with less disruptive sodium (salt) ions; transforming it into much easier to manage soft water. We recommend that you use the brand titan, Kinetico for maximum effect. Their products are available for purchase on their website.

The positive effect upon your life can be far-reaching: no more scrubbing your bathroom for hours to rid it of unsightly watermarks and limescale build up, with an unbelievable £400 a year saved on cleaning products alone. That’s not all; the removal of hard water eradicates limescale, allowing electrical appliances, such as washing machines, to work effectively and last longer. Water heaters also run more efficiently; in total, saving an estimated 25% on energy bills. Given the dramatic savings, and its convenience factor, a water softener will undoubtedly revolutionise the way you live.

Get yourself a garbage disposal unit:

Another useful tool used by Americans for decades, but as yet relatively undiscovered in this country, the garbage disposal (or as we know it, waste disposal) unit will make a convenient addition to your kitchen. The idea is catching on fast in the UK, with many new build homes having integrated systems in their sinks. Having a waste disposal unit means that you can literally chuck any food waste down the sink: items such as vegetable peels and uneaten food. You name it – it can be disposed. The food is ground up and then flushed down into our sewerage systems, which means fewer trips to your rubbish bin, and a more environmentally friendly alternative than another addition to our over-flowing landfills.

Try a two-drawer dishwasher:

Technology is moving away from a traditionally designed dishwasher, with newer models incorporating two separate drawers instead of one large space. The two drawers work independently of each other, both with their own controls, which is perfect if you don’t want your delicate glasses and heavy pans jostled around together. It is possible to have both drawers operating at the same time, but with different temperatures, as you may have some items that require a hot wash and others where a cooler, more economical, temperature would work just as well. Alternatively, you could run just one drawer, for the times when you don’t have as many dishes to wash.

Get steamy in the oven:

Steam ovens are changing the way we cook. Traditionally, ovens are heated using circulating air, whereas, as the name suggests, this oven cooks food using steam. The ovens come with a removal water tank, from which water is fed in to the oven cavity and heated by powerful elements. Steaming is considered the healthiest way to cook, as it retains the food’s nutrients and vitamins, and doesn’t usually require any additional fat to cook food, unlike traditional ovens, which tend to dry some food out. Healthy eating aside, the steam oven cooks food much quicker, with a chicken taking approximately 20 minutes to cook, in contrast to a somewhat lengthy two hours in a convection oven. Steam ovens work on the premise that all food cooks differently, ensuring that regardless of whether it is bread or meat in the oven, the result will be perfectly cooked food. You can also use the oven to cook food usually found on the hob, such as pasta and soup. Some newer steam ovens on the market offer a combination of steam and convection, which gets around the problem of steam ovens being unable to brown, or crisp up, food. Our favourite steamy wonder is Miele, the leading brand. Check out their DG6200 model here– it’ll blow you away.

 Are you after any new home appliances in the sales?