I Love To Turn You On

There must be many things that strike a first time parent hard - lack of sleep, never a moment to yourself, - that sort of thing.

You go through stages of shock, wonder, awe, desperation and joy, all in the space of a few moments.

If you have a large extended family around you then you will, of course, accept help from sisters, mothers, inlaws, brothers, friends - anyone you know well enough to trust your most precious thing to - your child.

The trouble is that many of us these days no longer have such a resource on our doorstep, many people move away for work or love and many people are just too busy these days to really help out with your childcare.

So what to do?

I have found that there is a time for the nursery and a time for proper childcare and finding a good nanny can be a huge weight off your shoulders.

Naturally I would not advise looking in the personals for such nanny help. Although there may well be perfectly respectable people there it is highly recommended to use the services of a bona fide, offsted approved nanny agency. It is reassuring, to say the least, that a prospective nanny will have had a full criminal records ( CRB ) check done on her recently as well as you have the assurance that the nanny agency has taken steps during the screening process to ensure that the nanny will be suitable, experienced, dedicated and trustworthy. Going through an agency such as this gives you a kind of insurance policy on your childcare, meaning that in the event that the nanny/ childcare is unavailable a suitable replacement may be found for you at short notice.

TigerLily Agency provides a great emporary and permanent positions for Nannies, Mother’s Helps, Nursery Staff, Maternity Nurses and Housekeepers over the whole of the UK, it is a Nanny Agency founded on the princlipes of care and attention to detail which is why I feel relieved when as I call the nanny agency to let them know about my next planned ski trip ( no kids ) to Verbier.

This year’s Paddle Round The Pier Beach Festival plays host to some fantastic water-based events, all helping to raise thousands of pounds for three deserving charities.

The action kicks of for professional paddleboarders early on the Saturday morning with the Funky Puffin Euro Enduro SUP race. A gruelling 20 mile stand-up paddle to Worthing Pier and back - seeing competitors from across Europe and beyond.

Another race for watermen (and girls) is the Errant Surf Holidays Pier2Pier challenge. This sees both ‘amateurs’ and ‘pros’ paddle from the eastern side of the Brighton Pier across to the west side of the West Pier - a tough paddle of over 2 miles against the current.

Also a favourite with the crowds is the ‘Paddle Something Unusual’, where teams paddle ‘unusual’ rafts they have built around the West Pier and back. The past few years has seen a floating island, pirate ship, Dodgeball court and even Thunderbird 2!

And of course at 2pm on the Sunday it’s the event that started this all back in 1996 - the ‘Paddle Round The Pier’. Hundreds of people will take to the water on surfboards, bodyboards, paddle boards, canoes etc and paddle around the West Pier. Having collected sponsorship money each will make a massive difference to the amount raised for the charities.

Other water based events include: the Neilson Sailing Regatta, Inshore Rescue Boats, Outrigger Canoes, The British Ocean Ski Series, Wakeboarding displays and a Fishing Contest (held at Brighton Marina).

If you want to have a go at some sports yourself then you can head to the beach and try out the likes of wakeboarding, kayaking and Stand Up Paddleboarding.

Over 40,000 people are expected to attend this year’s event, which takes place on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 July at Hove Lawns in Brighton and is completely free of charge to visit.

And organisers are hoping to raise over £30,000 for this year’s chosen charities from donations made by visitors. The charities are the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, SurfAid International and Whoopsadaisy.

As well as all of the water activities, there is a lot going on in the ‘Paddle Village’ on Hove Lawns and the promenade next to the beach. Hundreds of stalls, children’s entertainment area, main arena and big top with live bands, plus tons more fun.

More information at the website at : www.paddleroundthepier.com

In May 2007 I got a new mobile phone which had a 5 megapixel camera, video calling, video editing, Bluetooth&tm;, flash player, customisable folders…. everything one could wish for.
It was a Nokia N95.
It still works.
It still is better than the iphone 4.

Was looking for a way in which to keep the kids under control on my last surf trip.

There are a few factors you need to take into account when setting off on a surfari :

• Transport - nearly a 600 mile round trip to Cornwall
• Accommodation - we had booked a caravan in Devon but were going to Cornwall
• Swell - we checked the surf reports regularly on MagicSeaweed and Sharkbait, hence the redirection from Devon
• Equipment - suitable wetsuits for the water temps, waxed and ready surfboards
• Clothing - warm stuff for when you get out of the water ( I love my Quiksilver striders )
• Sleepy Stuff - like some blankets or sleeping bags
• Money - enough for 3 hot meals a day - or a frikkin picnic if your friends insist
• Toys - some gadgets and chargers like ipods and mobile phones - even a portable DVD player

All the above are easy.to sort and come quite easily from experience, but the hardest factor to cover is that of childcare. when you are single, not only do your pockets jingle (with cash), but your freedoms are limited by few ogres.

So - the most pressing problem was how to convince one’s spouse that being a single parent for a few days will bring her closer to the kids and be an enriching experience for all involved (while I catch some waves). This is a hard sell, believe me, they are not easily fooled and as the time for departure approached, and the weather conditions in Cornwall improved, I became more and more aware that something had to be done should I wish to leave with smiles from all and get on and enjoy my holiday.

Luckily I have a friend who runs a childcare agency, I gave her a call and she suggested a childminder for the Saturday and Sunday who was fully CRB checked and had passed her paediatric first aid course. It did not cost the earth and certainly made my (watch free) surf sessions down at Newquay all the more chill.

Tigerlily supplies loads of nanny jobs and nursery jobs for a variety of locations including east Sussex, Herts, Hamps, Surrey and suchlike.

For those going to Newquay the best information can be found here : Fistral Surf report, Town beaches worked well when the swell was high and south westerly, ….