Lisa, Author at Conversations through the middle

Kiss and brush up – Denman for Valentine’s Day

February 12, 2013

With Valentine’s Day just a few sleeps away I thought I would introduce you to a few love-ly gift ideas I’ve come across this year.

First up is this red and black kisses decorated hair brush by Denman. If you have an 11-year-old daughter then I bet you find she’s always brushing her hair – I know because mine is. Dot starts to panic if she doesn’t have one of her dozen or so hairbrushes to hand at all times of the day (I have to cajole her to go in the shower though, which is weird. Perhaps that’s the grubby little kid part still remaining in my pre-teen hair–obsessed darling.)

As soon as this came through the door she commandeered it. By all accounts it’s a very good brush, strong bristles that works through tats (what we call knots up north) with no problem.

I was once the owner of a Denman vent brush that was lightweight and great for keeping in my always overloaded bag. Alas, that has been snaffled also. I see it from time to time, peeking out from Dot’s bag. *Sniff*

This also comes in pink and black; I’ve just looked on the website and at the moment you get a free lip gloss with it. (Don’t tell Dot that.)

Horse meat in lasagne – what’s the big deal?

February 8, 2013

I have just been watching the news and all the furore over horse meat in food from Findus, Tesco and Aldi, and I just had to write this. It’s outrageous for lots of reasons, one of the main ones being that if I wanted to eat horse meat I would buy horse meat. If I buy something that is labelled as beef lasagne then I expect it to be beef – otherwise the product is lying yes?

And now according to the news on ITV, the government cannot guarantee that horse meat hasn’t gone into school dinners and hospital food. I wonder how the people who have eaten it would feel about that if they knew? I know for a fact, without even asking her, how Dot would feel.

Are you saying oh well, horse meat is still meat, it won’t harm and lots of people in the world eat it. I know. But are you sure it won’t harm?

Where has this horse meat come from? Again the news on ITV has just spoken about a criminal conspiracy being to blame. Take it further and think where the horses come from? I’m sure horses destined for the food chain are safe to eat, but can I enlighten you as to what happens with horses, pet horses who aren’t supposed to end up in the food chain?

When they are ill the vet prescribes drugs for them and of course we, as devoted owners, are over the moon to have them. When my darling horse John was ill last year he had to have several horse medicines to help him in his battle to get well. On giving me these my vet asked for his horse passport so he could write in there that John was not to end up in the food chain. Horses are big animals and horse drugs are powerful. Even the horse painkiller that I guess most owners use, bute, packs one helluva punch – it has to if it’s going to stop pain in the horse. A couple of paracetamol just aren’t going to cut it with an animal that, in John’s case, weighed getting on for three quarters of a tonne.

So are you sure the horse meat is safe? I heard that bute had been found in some of the samples tested. I don’t know if that’s right but I wouldn’t be surprised.

I know that some horses are bred for meat – and I’m sure the people that farm them are careful about what, if any, drugs these meat horses are given. But what we’re talking about here isn’t legit, if it was it would be labelled as horse meat and not passed off as beef yes? See where I’m going with this?

Perhaps I’m way off base with this next thought: I heard on the news that the horse meat in question came from France and Ireland. I don’t know about France but it’s well known that there has been a big problem in Ireland with horses being abandoned due to the awful recession that means owners can’t afford to keep them... sorry, I can’t help thinking it. I’m not talking about owners here, but as ITV news put it, criminal conspiracies.

So to sum up, I say to those people who think that the fuss about horse meat is no big deal, those people who think meat is meat no matter what kind it is…. are you sure?

MAD Blog Awards – how should I say it… I’d love to be nominated!

February 8, 2013

It is not in my character to ask people to do things for me – I’m really quite shy and always have been, but this time around I’m going to act out of character and ask my followers and anybody who even quite likes my blog to nominate me for this year’s MAD Blog Awards.

These awards honour bloggers and their blogs, and are recognition for all the hard work that goes into creating a little piece of one’s life in cyberspace that hopefully interests, intrigues and entertains those who visit it. I don’t know if my blog does that, but I really hope so. I love writing and I love this blog; I love having people visit and leave comments, and when they choose to become followers I get a great buzz. On those days when it’s hard to be motivated, when life sucks and work is a pile of, well you know, it’s the comments that keep me carrying on.

I’ve met great people while blogging too, most of whom I’ve never met in person and perhaps never will, but on the internet I know them and consider them friends. Yes, blogging does that, it opens you up to people and situations that enrich your life. It might sound a bit twee, it’s not supposed to. If you don’t blog then try it, you’ll see what I mean.

Thanks in advance to anybody who nominates me and dare I say it, leave me a comment below to say hello.

Face mask with less fuss – Yon-Ka Masque No 1

February 6, 2013

Skincare is very important to me (and as I get older it gets more important), but I’m often pushed for time and can’t be doing with lots of faffing around. That’s why I’m particularly taken with this hydrating face mask from Yon–Ka: you apply it and then just leave it, no wiping away, no rinsing, you just let it get on and do its job.

I tend to use it at night, just before bed, when I’m too tired for anything more complicated, and when I wake up in the morning my skin feels soft and more plump, there’s no trace of product.

Of course, you can remove it if you want after 10 minutes or so, but unlike many other face masks you don’t have to, which makes it a good friend for time-pressed mums.

It has a lavender-y fragrance, is quite light and just a bit sticky in consistency. That disappears though as the product is absorbed. It’s also made with natural ingredients – plant and marine extracts, and essential oils, which is a big bonus as far as I’m concerned. Find out more at www.yonka.com.