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, ….
Ok, I gave in and went for an Iphone, just wanted, I think to see what all the fuss was about.
The phone is nice, easy to use but I am increasingly annoyed at the proprietary way in which Apple has closed down access to the phone.
My last few phones ( Android, Symbian and Windows Mobile 6.1 ) have allowed me to drag music onto the hard drive, beam files via bluetooth and install apps/ games from many sources ( all without any issues). The iPhone’s locking in to iTunes gets on my nerves, but still it is very easy to use.
The camera is a but pony but I will just have to make do with it. The email program synched up nicely to my Google Apps account via Exchange ( iPhone > Microsoft > Google ???) and some of the apps ( like Magic Seaweed Surf reports ) are just dandy.
All in all the phone is not up to the quality of the HTC Hero Android phone and not as robust and usable as the Nokia N95 but it is kind of cute and relatively easy to use.
The unlimited data which comes with the Orange contract helps in a big way to enjoy a mobile life as well.
The icing on the cake was the purchase ( as I want to keep this phone a grade as I suspect I will try to swap it for an Android phone one day) of a beautiful iphone case from Maikai. It did, however take me several days to remove the thick plastic from the thin screen protector but that was ‘my bad’.
Just been working on a website for some friends who specialise in fine art restorations. They are a mixed bunch of skilled individuals with a wealth of experience in the many doctrines of restoration.
The site is made to be simple : http://www.artrestorations.co.uk/ and act as a showcase for their work and services.
It has been fully optimised for search engines with a friendly URL structure and easy navigability.
It is just, now, for them, to add the content…..
The UK has a varied coastline and, as a result, many excellent surfing locations. Although Newquay is world famous for its surfing beaches its popularity can mean that it gets crowded, particularly during the summer months. There are many great locations for beginners such as Watergate Bay in Cornwall where the surfer will find 2 miles of beach at low tide. Pease Bay is an upcoming surfing location in the Borders region in the south east of Scotland and offers the more experienced surfer a good beach break and challenging reef.
Llangennith in Gower, south Wales has beach breaks along its 3 mile stretch of beach and is one of the most popular Welsh surfing locations. When there is a good swell here it can get crowded but it is possible to find patches that are less heavily populated. Rips are quite common along this part of the coast. Saltburn in Cleveland in the north east of England is one of the first surfing beaches in the area. There are excellent beginner waves to be found close to the pier here.
Great beaches for intermediate level surfing include Bantham in south east Devon which boasts more swell and variety of peaks than anywhere else in the area. There are long rides to be had with a long board and rips are common. Sennen Cove in Cornwall has an exposed coastline, giving it good waves when other locations have none. Bournemouth is enjoying its new artificial reef break which has improved the quality of the waves immensely. Other beaches nearby include Branksome, Sandbanks and Canford Cliffs which are guaranteed to be less crowded.
Port Neigwl in Gwynedd is more commonly known as Hell`s Mouth and is the best location for surfing in north Wales. It has a 4 mile long bay with peaks along the whole stretch on a good swell. At the south eastern end of the bay, intermediate surfers can enjoy the best waves beneath the cliffs but it can get crowded during good swells.
Expert level surfing is available at Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire, a large beach with peaks along its entirety. There are powerful and large peaks as well as good breaks in the smaller bays to the south. There is also a heavy reef break within reach of the location. Another location for expert surfing is at Thurso East in Scotland. This is reputed to be one of the best surfing areas in Europe, with a right hand reef break on top of a flat rock shelf. With a big north swell it offers up waves that are larger than triple overhead.
Lessons and gear hire are available at most surfing locations and are essential for beginners. Safety is an important element of learning to surf and beginners are instructed in various techniques in order to stay safe. Surfing in the UK requires that the surfer wears a wetsuit for warmth. Surf boards are available in a variety of sizes including short and long boards, starter and beginner boards and boards for children. Fashion-wise, Volcom UK offers a good selection of gear for boarders.
Thing is with marketing a niche product to a willing market is that you really don’t have to try too hard.
You are not pushing some unnecessary consumerist dream down their throats, nor suggesting a lifestyle change; just putting a willing customer in touch with a suitable supplier.
This is where social media comes into its own, if you create the right sort of Facebook/ Twitter/ YouTube etc page which carries a true source of information about a shared sphere of interest you can be sure that the majority of people who follow, share, befriend, fan your social media pages will be almost willing customers.
Hence, create your social media pages, lovingly add/ drip as unique and interesting content as you can on a regular basis and you will soon find that you have followers and, better still, conversions.
Been working on marketing a data recovery website for a while now, makes you think about how terrible it would be to lose all your data. Don’t close the door after the horse has bolted and back up now I say.
I have been adding the site to relevant search engines, optimising title tags and metadescriptions and researching keywords. All of which was a most enjoyable day.
Posted in Media on 22. Mar, 2010
Last summer I was lucky enough to take my kids down to hove lawns for the paddle round the pier festival on Hove lawns in East Sussex.
The summer sun shone down upon hordes of types, young and old who enjoyed two days of sea, skate, SUP and surf related run – all for charity.
My kids loved the ferris wheel ( below ) and the adults in our party sank down on the grass with beers and listened to the music.
The stalls were wild and varied with everything a wannabee surfer could wish for, food was great also.
This year the 2010 festival kicks off on July the 3rd and rolls on over the weekend with a fun packed and entertaining line up of sea events ( jet ski, paddle races, SUP lessons, kite surfing ) and land events ( skate race, skate and BMX park, music, etc).
For more information visit the paddleroundthepier website, then book the date as the festival grows from strength to strength each year and is a great community event for Brighton.
