Typecast

As mentioned previously on this blog , I live in an old, end-terrace house in the North of England. It's the sort of house that manages to retain heat in the summer and is freezing cold in the winter. If there was a way of harnessing that summer warmth and saving it for the winter, believe me, we'd be up for trying it out.   Over the past few years we have taken advantage of Government-funded and regeneration schemes to help make our house more season-friendly but we occasionally have to resort to old-fashioned methods of keeping warm. We have turned the thermostat down by one degree to save up to £75 per year and we all throw an extra layer of clothing on.  We can often be found huddling under one of my very special crochet blankets too (one in the lounge, one on each bed).  With the money we save we like to take a trip or two out to the beach, have a nice long walk with the dog and treat ourselves to the best fish and chips in Lancashire on the way back. T...

Our final #AppyBitches activity was supposed to show a 30-minute discussion between a fab group of bloggers where we talked about money saving and time saving apps for busy parents.  However, I only found the big red BROADCAST button after everyone had left, as you can see... Myself and Paula were joined by: Sian from Cybher ( @geekisnewchic ) Paul ( @hooker1UK ) Di ( @superluckydi ) Amy ( @and1moremeans5 ) Emma ( @methemanandbaby ) Andy ( @ndyharmon ) and we discussed which apps work best on iPad (sometimes they are just enlarged versions of iPhone apps), how some apps are best developed rather than newer versions created and we compared apps for the iPad against apps for the (newer) android tablet. There was talk about social media apps (Twitter and Facebook featured heavily) and how shopping and banking apps are becoming more popular.  I also believe, at one point, we agreed that I was going to find out how to become ordained online and conduct ...

I bet you're all wondering how the #AppyBitches / #BGSaveTime campaign is going?  Well, first of all, Paula didn't do a runner with the iPad but she stuck to her brief and researched a number of apps to see how they could help her organise her life and maybe make it a little easier.  Her trip to Ireland to catch up with her family was the perfect place to start and she's been keeping a diary for me during her holiday and on her return home.  Let's see what she's been up to - over to Paula.

If I asked you how busy you were at the moment what would your answer be? Me?  I'm swan-like.  You all think that I'm calm and serene but under the surface I'm paddling like mad. I'm incredibly busy at work at the moment (new job role, brand new project, exciting times), my blogging life is on the up and up (fantastic) and at home the long summer holidays have just started which means trying to keep a 13 year old occupied without it costing the Earth (impossible)! As you all know, I'm a little bit addicted to my online life and keep tabs on everything via my laptop, my new android tablet or my phone.  I've got apps for everything and I'm always trying to find the shortest and cheapest route from A to B, whether that be connecting with friends, paying the bills or being entertained. British Gas have approached me and asked if I could take part in their online campaign.  They want to showcase their brand new app that allows you to ...