Journeys Are My Diary

If you’re anything like me, you probably don’t check your car tyres all that often. However at this time of year, especially when the weather can make roads even more dangerous than they already are, it’s a good idea to try and look after your tyres. If you live or travel around places like Scotland, you will also find that many roads which travel across countryside are narrow and windy. Distances are often underestimated and so with large gaps between towns and villages, it’s important not to end up stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Here are my top tips for looking after your tyres:

1. First and most importantly, your tyres should be the correct type and size for your car. You can check this information in your manual, however you should have them fitted properly, in Dundee for example, with experts like Fife Autocentre.

2. Keep an eye on the condition of your tyres. They should always look in a good condition – no tears, gouges, scars, lumps etc. If there is something that makes you question what it is, look into it.

3. Tyres should always be pumped up to the correct pressure. Again you can find this information in your manual but it might be handy to keep a note of it in your phone or even on a sticker on your dashboard etc. so you don’t need to keep looking it up. Always check the pressure in cold weather and adjust accordingly. Also adjust the pressure if you carry am unusually heavy load.

4. Tyre grip. The law requires a car’s tread to be 1.6mm but of course you can change them if they begin to look worn on any part of the tyre. If you don’t know how to check for the depth of your tyre tread, look it up. It’s really simple and takes only a moment or two to do.

5. Carrying a spare tyre is not a legal requirement but it it is a good idea. If you hope to rely on it in the case of a puncture, it’s also a good idea to make sure that it’s road worthy by checking that occasionally too.

6. Check your wheel alignment. If your wheel alignment is out, tyres can often wear on the insides, where you can’t really even see them. This can cause unexpected punctures and often you will need to replace tyres sooner than just regular wear and tear.

7. Last but not least, experts recommend you rotate your wheels. Often rear wheels wear down at a slower rate than front ones and some even say left wear more rapidly than right. Rotating your tyres could help them to last longer and you might get many more miles out of your money!

Driving with faulty tyres of any sort, can be incredibly dangerous. If you are breaking the law, you will be subject to fines. If your tyres cause lack of control or slower braking, you may even cause accidents. Because of this it’s really important just to take a few minutes, every few weeks, just to make sure your cars are in the best possible condtion they can be

This year I turn 40 and at one point I started one of those “40 before 40” lists but I have to admit, I didn’t get past about 4 things, let alone 40. However one of those 4 was to buy a new car for myself – although when I say new, I mean used but new to me. For as long as I can remember, I have always had the cheap run-around car. It’s never cost more than about £500 and it was always just to run the kids to school and doing the shopping. When I eventually got a nice car, it was passed down to me from my then husband, as he was getting a new car himself. Sadly that car was stolen a year or so later and then I was back to the cheap, no choice, run-around car.

So my goal this year, is to finally head out and pick myself a car. I don’t have a massive budget but just knowing that I chose it and paid for it myself will be really nice. However I have to be honest and admit, I don’t know a whole lot about cars, and if you saw my current car (parts of it are held on by cable ties!) you would totally class me as a sterotypical “woman driver”. Because of this, I don’t want to be taken for a fool by a car dealer and I have been doing some research! So, what should you look for when buying a used car?

Find a good and reliable dealership

While one upon a time, car dealers had a bad name for themselves, being dodgy dealers and fixing cars to seem better than they are, these days that isn’t the case. Often a dealer is the absolute best person to buy a car from. Dealers have a reputation to uphold and they need for people to recommend them to others and keep people coming back. If they sold dodgy cars, or gave people misinformation, they would soon lose people’s trust and no one would come back. If you’re looking to buy second hand fiat cars in Brighton consider a credible dealer like KAP Motors.

Always view the car properly

This probably sounds obvious, but it’s also easy to feel awkward when you’re looking around cars – especially if like me, you don’t really know what you’re doing. However take the time to inspect it properly, especially looking for things like;
– worn tyres (this will set you back extra money if you have to replace them almost immediately)
– dents and scratches (it’s not so much the little ones, but anything that stands out – plus it might help you negotiate on price)
– panel gaps or varying colours (this may show that a car has been in a crash and badly repaired)
– oil, brake and power steering fluids (these being low may imply the car hasn’t been well maintained),
– electrics (check the windows open, the wipers work, the radio switches on etc. – again this might be a relatively cheap fix for you but good for negotiating)
– glass (look for chips as they could turn into cracks and cracks can fail an MOT).
– upholstery (stains and tears can be off-putting, so can funky smells – make sure you would be happy driving around in it)
– spare wheel and accessories (if you get a puncture, are you going to be able to fix it? Do you have not only a spare tyre but also the tools to change it?)
– wear and tear (all second hand cars will show some signs of use, but does the mileage fit with the rough condition of the car?)

There are of course other things you can check for and this includes; document checks, MOT and service history checks, mileage discrepancies incase the car has been clocked and so on.

Take the car for a test drive

Most of the time you should be able to take the car you are looking at out for a test drive. While you’re doing this, there are a few other things to look out for. Does the car start okay? What temperature does the gauge show (has the owner warmed it up beforehand)? Check the clutch, transmission, steering and suspension. Does the engine sound okay? Does the car perform as you’d expect? Test the brakes.

Most importantly though, do you like it? Are you happy driving it, does it feel right and will you be happy owning this car for the foreseeable future. If you have done your due diligence and everything seems to be ticking the boxes, you’re probably good to go. Make sure you get the best deal, cover yourself for being able to take it back if something doesn’t feel right in the first few days and if you’re taking out some sort of finance to pay for it, make sure you consider all the different covers available to you.

For those who’ve been vaping since the movement’s inception, there’s been an exciting improvement in the products and juices available for pro and amateur vapers alike. You’ll have been able to hone in on exactly the kind of vaping experience you’re after, whether that be a punch-packing throat hit or great plumes on the exhale. If you’ve got used to the same set of kit for some time, and you’re looking to revitalize your vaping experience, then this article should help you find the latest and greatest in the world of atomizers, batteries, and juices.

Hardware

The range of e cigs on the market nowadays is remarkable. Options include disposable and pen-like devices for your day to day vape, or fist-clenching titans to keep at home or in the office that’ll see you through a week of fine vaping. Selecting the right hardware for your preferred style of vaping is fundamental to getting the most out of your e cig experience.

You’ve got three absolutely key components to juggle when selecting your new vaping hardware: the tank, an atomizer, and the battery. These come in all shapes, sizes, and specifications.

• The Tank: here you’re able to select from wide, high-volume tanks that will easily hold your day’s juice – or, for those looking for a more discreet vaping look, there are slim, top-filled numbers to help you slowly hit the vape without carrying around something the size of your wallet or purse.
• The Atomizer: this works in conjunction with your battery to create the vaping sensation that you desire. Like never before, you’re able to mix and match your atomizer and battery to ensure that you’re getting exactly the kind of satisfaction that you’re looking for from your vape.
• The Battery: while on the surface there’s a great deal of choice around the size, shape, and design of your e cig battery, each battery comes with a certain configuration that can enable, for instance, sub-ohm vaping to produce bounteous clouds, or sharp throat hit vaping without the tell-tale vapor plumes. You can tailor this to your exact style.

All-in-Ones

If you’re less into the idea of mix-and-matching your hardware, you’re still going to be incredibly well catered-for when checking the market for an all-in-one vape that will revitalize your e cig experience.

Some of the best options here come in the form of the rechargeable e cig, with a universal USB charger that’ll take electricity from any socket that a USB charger can draw from. You don’t have to fiddle around with the settings, take the thing apart to clean it, or even worry about the juice input – many all-in-ones are sold with the ability to insert juice pods straight into the device – saving you from sticky, smelly fingers in the process.

One of the main attractions of these devices is their size and style. They’re small, well-designed and can be held or hid in a hand without drawing attention to your vape – useful when you’re going for discretion over an obvious vaping aesthetic.

It’s all about the hardware when you’re changing your vaping experience for the better – so shop around for the products listed above to get the very most out of your day-to-day vape.

So it’s that time of the year again when we start to think, what shall we try and attempt this year? Many people participate in dry January, others attempt to go vegan and for some its promises to yourself about getting thinner/fitter/losing weight etc. This year I turn 40 and actually for the first time in many years, I’ve decided not to make any New Year Resolutions. For more years than I can remember, my top resolution was “lose weight” but for 2019 I’ve decided that’s not important to me any more. Instead I want to be happy and healthy, not completely wrapped up in how I look or how much I weigh.

That said, this time last year, we took out gym membership. Again, that was part of a January promise to myself to lose weight, but the girls also had an interest in using the gym for fitness and going swimming. For several months we went 3-4 times a week and everyone loved it, but as time went on and months got busier, we soon found excuses and reasons not to go. Our year membership should have run out this January, but as we paused it during November/December (the absolute busiest time of year for me), we still now have a couple of months left. And while the gym doesn’t hold any interest for me this time around, heading out swimming a few mornings a week, definitely does.

Swimming is and always has been my favourite sport. In fact it’s really the only sport I’ve ever liked or ever been good at. Generally I’m not a sports person, but I absolutely love swimming and I’ve always been pretty good at it too. It helps me feel relaxed and calm, but also keeps me feeling fit and healthy. As something I’m actually good at, it also helps me to feel positive and accomplished.

But of course, new year and new you, means a new swimming costume! A spending ban is definitely not on my resolution list. Tyr offer fantastic costumes at great prices which is perfect for the do-over feeling. Not only that but they actually offer a full range of items that are generally geared towards fitness (for those of you who do want to attempt the gym this January!)

So with this in mind I might not be jogging into the new year but I will hopefully be swimming into it. And who knows, when my gym membership runs out, I might even enjoy the swimming so much that I decide to renew and keep going (well… we can hope at least right, even if if we don’t dress it up as a resolution).

Your family situation may not be where you envisioned it heading and this could have you feeling bad or remorseful. The good news is that there’s always the opportunity to turn your circumstances around and build a brighter and more promising future for you and your loved ones.

Avoid worrying about what mistakes you may have made in the past and instead focus your energy on what you can be doing differently in the future. You’ll never regret the time you put into improving your family life and making sure everyone is healthy and happy. It may be a challenge but know that your efforts will eventually pay off in the long run and you’ll all be better off for it.

1. Be Financially Responsible
   
   One way to build a promising future for you and your family is to commit to being more financially responsible. This includes planning for your future and considering purchasing No Exam Life insurance. This way should anything happen to you your family will have the finances they need to cover the costs of your passing and any necessary bills or debt. In addition, create and follow a budget and make sure you’re keeping up with your monthly payments and are living within your means.
   
   
2. Work Hard
   
   You should also take a look at your worth ethic and make sure you’re giving it your all with your career or job. This includes finding a new position if you’re struggling to make ends meet or are miserable with where you’re currently working. Build a promising future for you and your family by putting forth an extra effort each day so you can pay your bills and put food on the table for your loved ones. Be a good example for your children so they also a have a desire to pursue their career aspirations and have a family of their own one day.
   
   
3. Strengthen Your Relationships with Each Other
   
   Another way to build a promising future for you and your family is to focus on strengthening your relationships with each other. You can do this by encouraging open and honest communication in your household and holding regular family meetings and eating dinner together as a group. Invest yourself in your children and show and tell them how much you love them on a consistent basis. Build a better future together by making memories as a family and appreciating what each one of you brings to the family dynamic.

Conclusion

Your family life will improve when you focus on these important areas and are always striving to do a better job as a parent. What’s most important is that you never give up trying, and continue to pick yourself back up and start again even when you experience difficult times or setbacks. These are normal and are all part of the process. Make the tough adjustments and choices today so your future becomes a lot less messy and a lot more rewarding.

If you care suddenly find that it is your responsibility to care for someone with a physical disability, it can be highly intimidating as it is such an important task. It can be physically and mentally tiring, but it can also be highly rewarding as you are making such a big difference to the individual’s life. It can be hard to know what to do and how you can help them will depend on their needs and their disability, but there are a few steps that you could take which will certainly help them to lead a happy and active life.

Communication

It is vital that you communicate with the individual with a physical disability regularly about what their wants and needs are. Sometimes they may need to simply vent their frustrations, so you need to be there to provide support. In addition to this, it is also important that you maintain a friendly relationship so be sure to speak about other things and find social occasions that you can both enjoy together.

Attend Appointments & Ask Questions

There will be various medical appointments that they will need to attend and, as their carer, it is a smart idea to attend these appointments with them so that you can provide moral support but also get a firm understanding of what is happening. Be sure to make notes and ask any questions that you have, as well as if there is anything that you could be doing to help.

Immerse Yourself

Following on from this, it is worth immersing yourself into the world of physical disabilities and caregiving so that you can give the best possible care. This could involve:

• Reading magazines
• Joining online communities
• Buying specialist mobility equipment
• Attending industry events
• Attending support groups

Getting Out

It is important for you both to get out and enjoy fresh air, so make sure that this is an integral part of the routine. This can be good for both their physical and mental health, particularly if it involves socializing. Sports for those with disabilities like wheelchair basketball can be fantastic and make a big difference in their life.

Finances

Finances may be a concern, especially if the individual has become disabled through a sudden injury or illness. In this case, they may qualify for disability insurance if they are unable to work. You can use independent insurance brokerages like Insurance Geek to find disability insurance policies.

Look After Yourself

You should not neglect your own health, so you need to make time for yourself too. This should involve exercise, relaxation, socializing, eating well and generally enjoying yourself. This can be hard when you are a carer, but it is important so that you can give the best possible care while also enjoying your own life.

Being a carer is one of the greatest roles that you can do, but it is a task that is also highly daunting. This information should help you to be the best possible carer that you can be and help the individual with both their physical and mental health and overall happiness.

In the digital, information or computer age, whatever you want to name it, starting a business is merely a few clicks away. Contemporary society is living in an era of unmatched opportunities. The average person who chooses to profit from the offerings of the digital world, stands to reach heights our predecessors could only dream of.

However, people who choose to start an e-commerce site, start a blog, or write an Ebook often bear good intentions but lack a real understanding of what it takes to succeed in online business.

Of course, it’s okay to dream big, but alarmingly, a good number of aspiring entrepreneurs at various phases of business development fail to grasp what they need to attain their objectives.

Indeed, generating a million quid in three years from scratch with an online venture is admirable, but just how many grasp what it takes to hit such heights and maintain such lofty standards to avoid becoming another flash in the pan?

1. Be unique

Your enterprise, regardless of its current size, is an extension of you. Your brand’s success will succeed or fail hinging on how the outside world identifies with your brand, and it feels transacting business with you.

All aspects regarding your business – back office, product creation, customer service – must reflect your ethos.

The old age – people prefer to do business with persons they know, like and trust – resonates, even more, today’s environment. Even with the leading companies, people still prefer to see its head-honcho represent the company and speak on its behalf.

Credibility is key. You must be yourself, be with a few rough edges and a matching attitude or smooth and sophisticated kind. Know what works for you and your or audience. Non-authenticity guarantees failure.

Supposing you aren’t comfortable representing your brand, you’ll nonetheless need to create a persona to play the role of representative and humanize the company as much as you can.

2. Meet your customer regardless of geographical barriers

Thanks to social media, the world is fast moving from corporate-governed, sales dominated economy to a more trust-based economy. Previously, leading brands could rely on ‘blind’ brand loyalty for guaranteed profits, regardless of questionable products and lack of after sale support.

Well, not anymore. Presently, the presence of global competition across numerous industries means any weaknesses or glitches made by corporations are fast exposed and ruthlessly exploited by competitors.

A great example is the auto industry where despite the size of a company, say; Toyota and General Motors, random people have the power to send them spiraling on their knees supposing they fail to meet expectations.

The aviation industry faces similar challenges, as social media is potentially unfriendly. However, smaller enterprises lacking the financial muscle to invest in online reputation face more danger in comparison.

On a positive note, social media marketing when used correctly provides a tremendous opportunity for business owners to engage.

3. Set up a reputable online payment option

With every passing day, the digital transaction sphere gets more crowded. Small and medium enterprises may benefit from an embarrassment of payment options when accepting online payment. Each service provider’s offering differs from others. Consider mypaymentsavvy when in the lookout for a potential digital transaction service provider.

Vaping started as a way to achieve comfort for people who do not want to smoke regular cigarettes. E-cigars have gained popularity over the years. Vaping, on the other hand, has come to replace every other smoking means that we have known. You can buy a vaping kit online. Many teens are exposed to smoking but vaping has become the new popular option. Vaping comes up as a means to curb the rampant smoking and create a healthier alternative. Here are six things that you should know about vaping.

1)    Vaping Can Be Cheap

Most vaping companies are too expensive for smokers. They seem out of reach for many smokers. Consumers need to get their hands on reliable products that will guarantee safety. The vapor from the device comes from a heated liquid. Knowing whom to trust for a reliable vaping device is hard. Vaping cheap is one place that you can buy all your vaping supplies for an affordable fee. You can also get the products from this reliable source without having to break a bank.

2)    Vaping Can Wean You off Cigarettes

Vaping came to the scene to try to provide a solution for people who have cigarette addiction problems. Vaping can wean you off addictive smoking. It gives you the comfort of smoking without the toxic tobacco components. The vaping experience is similar to what one feels when they smoke from the regular cigarettes. It has been known to have an 18% rating on weaning off smoking addicts.

3)    Vaping Is Safe and Socially Non-intrusive

Unlike traditional smoking, people around you do not have to suffer the consequences of your smoking habits. Vaping is safe for your health as you do not inhale too much of toxic substances that may be found in traditional cigarettes. Although there is a mild lack of proven facts about the dangers of vaping, you will not be getting sneers from strangers while using these devices.

4)    Less Foul Smell Compared To Cigarette Smoking

Unfortunately, most smokers smell after a few joints. The moment they come near you, you can smell the cigarettes on them. The scent creates discomfort for you as well as other family members. People will know you had a smoke even before you walk in the room. Vaping does not emit that unpleasant smell.

5)    Vaping Has Flavors

Some vaping companies have incorporated flavors into their cigarettes. The flavors are great, and you can even have yours blended to fit your custom taste. As you advance, you will learn what characteristics you like best and which ones to avoid. Vaping is in many ways cooler and accommodative than old-school smokes.

6)    Tobacco Companies Are Buying Out Vaping Industries

Due to the sudden realization of the effects of smoking, tobacco sellers have been making fewer returns on cigarettes. To get their feet back up, they are investing heavily in creating other products that are doing well in the market. The Vaping industry is growing by the day as the trend is gaining popularity among the youths.

Hallways are tricky spaces – more often than not, they’re long and thin and not able to hold much in the way of furniture, and yet quite a lot is required of a hallway. It’s where we keep our coats and shoes, where we welcome guests into our home, and it acts as an artery in the house, with other rooms feeding off from it. So how can you maximise your hallway and turn it into a place that’s just as functional as any other space in your home? Adding storage is a great way of getting the most out of your hallway.

Here’s a list of five things you can bring into the hallway to make it more of a usable space.

1. Fit coat pegs onto the wall
   Use your hallway to hang your coats. Find a set of hooks that you really like – there are some great styles made from repurposed industrial equipment, for example, or upcycled out of driftwood – and fit them to the wall. This will create an instant place to store hats, jackets, umbrellas, the dog’s lead… the possibilities are endless.
   
   
2. Invest in a sideboard
   Sideboards are having a revival, and for good reason. They are slender, incredibly useful items of furniture that slot easily along one side of the hallway and provide extensive inside storage space for anything from glasses that you can’t fit in the kitchen cupboard to cutlery, crockery or Christmas decorations.
   
   Vinterior has an incredible collection of vintage sideboards for sale, so start browsing and you’ll see how beautiful they are – a real stalwart of the mid century era, they add sophistication to any room, but particularly a hallway as they help to innovate the space. Their long, smooth tabletops make a great display area for family photographs, too. Classic mid-century items are made by G Plan and Beautility, but if you prefer older styles, search for ‘console tables’ and you’ll be met with a wide range of antique hallway tables that might tickle your fancy instead.
   
   
3. Find a hat stand
   There’s something ever so elegant about a hat stand, and they take up very little floorspace meaning they’re the perfect choice when space is tight, as it so often is in a hallway. If you’ve already got a row of coat hooks and you still have outerwear coming out of your ears, a hat stand is your next best bet. On top of looking smart and being especially compact, they make great additional storage for coats, jackets and, of course, hats!
   
   
4. Buy an antique wicker basket…
   … and tuck it into a corner, using it to store shoes, wellies and trainers! Baskets make a lovely, rustic addition to a hallway. You can find them in all sorts of different shapes and sizes and use them to create an interesting display as they store your bits and bobs. Pop one beside the front door and use it to collect the post
   
   
5. A storage bench is a good idea, too
   A slim bench with built in storage under the seat is another good place to keep shoes, and it provides you with a place to sit while you put them on as well! Measure your hallway carefully to ensure it can take a larger piece of furniture such as a bench or a sideboard before you buy – if it can, do invest in one; you’ll end up wondering how you ever lived without it! Toss a few accent cushions across the top of your bench to create interest and add a touch of charm to your hallway.

I don’t know how everyone else feels about buying gifts for their parents at Christmas, but I personally feel like there is a lot of pressure. It’s like a whole year’s worth of “thank you”, all summed up in one present.

When you’re younger, parents are responsible for doing so much for you, and in all honesty we probably take it for granted. However when you get older, possibly become a parent yourself, you realise just how much they did for you and to be honest, that you can never really repay them for that. For feeding you, clothing you, making sure you got an education, hopefully helping you to become a good person – and so much besides, being a parent is pretty much a thankless job for the most part.

So when it comes around to birthdays or Christmas and you’re tasked with the job of getting them a gift. What on earth can you get them, that truly says how much you feel for them. Even though they’re no longer dressing you (hopefully!) or feeding you (except for Sunday lunch perhaps!), they still seem to do more than you realise, so it’s always nice to show you care.

Although I find an actual present a lot of pressure, trying to show I’m grateful every day, is also really important to me. My dad passed away over 14 years ago now and since then, my mum has been my only parent. That said, she has been a fantastic parent and words cannot express how thankful I am for her. Even though I’m a parent myself, with my own children to look after, I know she’s always still there for me. Whether it’s to lend me a tenner to pop petrol in the car, to pick me up when my car breaks down, or a shoulder to cry on when it feels like everything is going wrong – there’s no one quite like mum for me. So I try my best, all the time, to do little things that show I care – more than just a thank you. I climb up and change her lightbulbs when they need doing, I take her a portion of left over dinner when we have some, I invite her along to family cinema trips. We have been on major holidays together – my immediate family of four and her too, so that she feels included and not alone. We spend all major events and holidays together and although it sounds cheesy, she’s probably as much my best friend as she is my mum. And each time I do those things, I know she’s grateful and she knows I care – which really is much more important than any gift I could give her.

So whether I decide to get her a luxury hamper, theatre tickets, a spa day experience or some new piece of technology that I’d probably end up having to set up myself, I know she will be thankful and grateful for it. Because she’s my mum and that’s what mum’s do.