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Lifestyle – Why Dry Herb Vaporizers Have Become the Go-To in the Vaping World

January 26, 2017 by Bel Leave a Comment

The debate continues between those who prefer dry herb and those who choose oil vaping. There is a place for both, but increasingly dry herb vaping is the go-to method for many. There are some good reasons for this.

Use

Vaping use has evolved significantly. E-cigarette vaping has been around since 1963 and boomed after 2003. Today the market has expanded beyond nicotine-addicted smokers. The movement to legalize marijuana has resulted in a flood of cannabis users who prefer vaping to lighting up a joint. Their enthusiasm for dry herb vaping greatly contributes to its status as the go-to vaping method.

Quality of the Vaping Experience

Heating oil extracted from the cannabis plant was the natural follow-up to the e-cigarette revolution. Oil vaping usually results in less smoke, a desirable trait to those who wish to be discreet in their weed consumption.

Many consumers, however, find that vaping the actual unprocessed herb enhances the enjoyment of cannabis. For them, dry herb vaping produces a more natural and enjoyable vaping experience, not to mention the easier maintenance and cleaning of vaporizers.

Flavor

Dry herb vaping eliminates the harshness of smoking. By reducing the by-products of combustion, the consumer receives a purer taste experience, replete with the broad flavor spectrum from different parts of the plant.

Natural flavor intensity is easy to adjust by vaping parts of the plant that suit the vaper’s taste. There is no infusion of flavors or other artificial materials to alter the essence of the herb.

Quality of the High

Because oil vaping uses extracted resin as its base, THC content can be much greater than that in natural herb. Consumers frequently describe the high it provides as more intense and immediate. Some may find it overwhelming.

Dry herb vaping provides a more relaxed, comfortable high, preferred by many. Vapers can control the intensity of the THC released by using different parts of the plant or reducing the amount of herb, according to the vaper’s preferences.

Convenience

For years, dry herb vaping required using larger, cumbersome vaporizers. That is no longer the case. There are a variety of compact dry herb vaporizers available for consumers to buy. The development of these smaller devices has converted previous oil vapers over to dry herb vaporizing.

Health and Medical Use

The dramatic rise in the use of medical marijuana has created a need for a method of consumption without the side effects of smoking. Many medical users today had no prior experience with cannabis and experience difficulty in inhaling the smoke from a burning joint as they attempt to medicate to the required levels of THC.

For many of these medical consumers, vaping has become the solution, providing an alternative with benefits such as:

Reduced or eliminated respiratory problems associated with traditional smoking.

Vaping converts a higher percentage of THC into vapor, 46% compared to 25% from smoking a joint.
Because less cannabis is required for the same effect, vaping is less expensive for users of medical marijuana.

No Toxins

Smoking weed may not be the same as smoking a cigarette, but the truth is that inhaling any smoke into your lungs is bad for you. Dry herb vaping provides the pleasure of the smoking experience while eliminating tar and other toxins inhaled through smoking.

Vaping Options – More than Cannabis

Although cannabis is the principal dry herb vaping material, there are many other options, including:

Catnip
Valerian
Passion Flower
Lavender
Lemon Balm
Chamomile
Hops
Green Tea
Sage
Peppermint
Thyme

And the list goes on, even including tobacco if the vaper is so inclined.

As the vaping world continues to expand, the debate will certainly continue. In the end, it really is a matter of preference and usage habits. Dry herb and oil vaping both have their place.

Chances are, however, that even the most enthusiastic oil vaper will have a dry herb vaporizer stashed away somewhere, for that special occasion and dry herb vaping will continue to be the “go-to” in the vaping world.

The Top 8 Gap Year Travellers

November 14, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

The other day, Megan and I were discussing school – GCSE and A Level choices, and then even the college and university options. When I was at school, I felt very much that my mum and dad decided which subjects I should take and even whether or not I would go on to 6th Form and University. I don’t want to be like that with my girls, I want them to feel like they have all the choices. Further education isn’t always the right choice for everyone and as someone who loves to travel, I often wish I had taken a year out. If either of the girls want to do that, I know I will worry but I will definitely do my best to help them do that.

The Global Work & Travel Co. Blog published a post about The Top 8 Gap Year Travellers so I thought I would share it with you. While taking a year out can be a break from eduction, a bit of fun and a new experience, it can also be a step towards a future career and work experience.

Decoding Dreams

November 11, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Dreams have been a huge topic in our house recently, especially as both my girls tend to have them every night. For me, I don’t ever remember having dreams as a child (though I’m sure I did) and for the majority of my adult life I barely had any either. Many times my friends would talk about their dreams and all I could say was “I don’t really have any”. However I’ve noticed over the last few years I do seem to have more and as I’ve always known, its my brains way of processing everything that happens. I don’t know if I have a more stressful life nowadays, or maybe more things happen that need processing – but whatever the reason, I definitely have dreams more often than not these days.

Last night, I had one of those dreams that you’re not really sure if it’s good or bad. The dream itself was good I suppose. I don’t remember it clearly now (and honestly I’m trying not to as well) but my dad was in it and it was happy and I was happy and there was love. However when I woke with a start this morning, I realised it was just a dream. Then there was that bittersweet moment as reality set in that my dad wasn’t around and that I couldn’t talk to him or see him, or hug him as I had in my dream – as he died twelve years ago. All morning I’ve felt a bit shaky, a bit like I want to cry and the truth is I know why I dreamt it, as there is family drama going on – especially that which involves my mum and I can only imagine how much she might be missing him right now.

Luckily though, Lily came down this morning and was all chatter about a weird and wonderful dream that she had. The girls always make me smile with their dreams as they’re nearly always happy, but if not then at least strange and funny. They used to have nightmares a lot when they were younger and I put most of that down to the fact they had good imaginations so they worked overtime when they sleep. Now I’m glad they are better at enjoying their dreams and can make the most wonderful stories based on them. Sometime we try to pick apart what their dreams might mean and I’ve sometimes even googled the odd thing when it’s been a really specific dream.

In association with Adjustamatic adjustable beds, I wanted to share this video about explaining kids dreams. I love that as a child, your mind sort of protects you from the bad aspects of your thoughts and puts them into more relatable stories in your dreams. That said, as far as my bad dream went last night, seeing my dad and being able to hug him again was actually a really special part of my dream – so maybe our mind is always looking out for us, in its own way.

I Would Miss

November 10, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

Despite being born in the city of Bristol, I am very much a country girl. We moved, shortly after I was born, to Wakefield and then three years later after my brother was born, to a small village called North Somercotes in Lincolnshire. As a family, we lived and ran a small village newsagents for ten years and I attended both a village primary school and village secondary school. Back then, there was no mobile phones and internet, so I’ve no idea what signal or coverage would have been like. Phoneboxes were incredibly common and I remember that my full telephone number (landline) was only seven digits long, including the area code. Gas came in tanks, either tall reds ones or large landscape white ones – those are both very strong childhood memories.

I’m in my thirties now – almost my fourties and I have watched life change a lot. In my teens the internet came about and so did mobile phones. The internet was pay per month and per minute for dial-up, while mobiles were chunky and only offered text and call time minutes. We moved from a small village like North Somercotes, to a town called Louth and eventually from Louth, we moved to the city of Lincoln (or at least a village near by). Since leaving home at 19, I’ve lived in a variety of towns and villages and even Lincoln city itself once, but I’m most at home in the countryside – with windy roads, poor signal phone signal and a good distance to travel to decent shops. That said, I’ve definitely been on holiday to places that felt even more remote and I often think we take for granted what we have on a day to day basis.

I was challenged by Flogas, to discuss what I would miss if I had to live in a really remote area – completely out in the sticks. As I child I would joke that North Somercotes was out in the sticks, and compared to many places I’m sure it would feel that way to many people. However it really wasn’t and probably if I went back now, it would just seem like any other quiet village. I’m sad to say though, that the first thing I would miss (or would have an issue if it was lacking) would be my mobile phone signal. I check social media sites and my browser, more times than I can possibly count in a day. When I got on holiday, especially abroad, and signal/internet/data is lacking, I’m always a bit lost without the use of my phone. After that and related to that, would be my internet. Our family often jokes that we could forgo running water and heating, even a roof over our heads, so long as we could connect to someone’s wifi.

My partner Chris is pretty handy but I have to admit we’d all probably be a bit lost if it came to changing a gas canister. I once lived in a house that had oil to run its heating and that needed a lorry to come and top it up every time it was low – I ran out twice in the time I lived there – once over a very cold Christmas and I can’t say I’d be in a hurry to repeat that. The girls and I also love our baths and if running water wasn’t available, that would be an issue for us too. Admittedly we don’t bathe every day, but there is four of us who would need to bath at least 2-3 times a week.

While I definitely don’t think I would be lost, living out in the sticks (as I said, I’ve lived quite rurally), my kids and even my partner (he’s from Luton) would probably struggle. Also I think I’ve got a little too used to luxuries that are now classed as necessities, to want to give all that up.

What would you miss the most if you were stuck out in the sticks?

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Winter Safety on Two Wheels

November 9, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

With the weather getting colder, snow forecast for this week and Road Safety week just around the corner (week commencing 21st November), I wanted to share a few thoughts about those driving around – especially those on two wheels instead of four.

When I first met my partner Chris, four years ago, he was riding a motorbike as his main mode of transport. He hadn’t been riding very long, but he had passed his test and was a good driver. However as soon as the weather took a turn for the worst and morning roads were covered in frost, the accidents began. At first it would just be the odd slip or a grumble about other drivers on the road. However on icy mornings I would be filled with dread about him even managing to get to work in one piece. On several occasions he came off his bike at the end of our road, as we lived in a village that didn’t get all its roads salted and on one particular instance, he skidded right across the road, got thrown from his bike and injured his back. It was at this point that we had to consider catching the train and bus, to and from work, instead of risking his bike but there were times he still had to rely on his bike, when shifts ran too late for public transport. I bought him a fluorescent jacket and ruckstack for Christmas, but it still never made me feel 100% confident.

I’m happy to say that Chris has since learnt to drive a car and I feel much happier with him driving to and from work nowadays. However that’s not to say its foolproof either. I’ve personally had two bad accidents in snow and ice in my car, so I never take driving in the winter for granted.

In association with Jefferies Solicitors, who are specialists with death by dangerous driving solicitors, I was asked to share this infograph about Winter Safety. On top of this, I ask that you please all drive carefully this winter, whether four wheels or two.

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Making the most of your spare time

November 4, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

We all know that running a family home can leave us with very little in the way of spare time. So that’s why it’s a good idea to try and make the most of whatever time we have left after the meals have been eaten and the kids have gone to bed.

In the summertime, it was nice to take long evening walks. But now that the darker days have drawn in, we have to be a little more creative about how we choose to spend our time.

But thankfully tablet technology means that we can still do anything from planning parties and holidays to playing online games so that we never need to rely on those boring TV schedules anymore!

Online window-shopping is something that is not only endlessly engrossing, but it can also lead to some bargains later on. Whether you’re looking for the ultimate Christmas party dress, or some Disney gifts for the kids, there’s nothing like a bit of a bargain hunt on an evening!

There’s a great range of online fashion retailers that have sprung up in recent years, with the likes of Asos and Boohoo being amongst my favourites. And Pinterest is a great way to find things that you wouldn’t normally come across. By creating a virtual pinboard of fashion, recipes and pretty pictures, it’s helped millions of people to organise their wishlists and spend an evening in a vaguely productive way.

Even something as simple as video games can be made a little more useful. Although Fitocracy is a workout app, it cleverly uses gaming elements to help you stay in shape without noticing. And the live casino and slots games that you can find at Red8s are so engrossing that it’s easy to forget that they can provide a little extra money on the side!

Although it’s probably unlikely that most of us would become professional slots players from these online casino sites, the winnings can be used to make a future holiday fund. Thanks to travel sites like Skyscanner it’s really easy to search around to see what flight destinations are cheapest at particular times of the year.

So whether you’re planning a quick Christmas getaway to beat the winter blues, or are daydreaming about a dream trip to the casinos of Las Vegas or Disneyworld in Los Angeles, it all shows that we can all use our spare time in a productive way!

Doubling up on room functionality and why it is really not that bad

October 31, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

We seem to have finally accepted the idea that easy living is not about grandiose dining rooms, immense back gardens and countless other rooms that more often than not are rarely used. In the time-poor world of the 21^st century, very few of us have the inclination to manage a stately home when we can live in a much more versatile, open-plan space in the city – close to work and the buzz that only somewhere like Edinburgh can offer.

While apartment living can be exciting and relatively low maintenance, it does require homeowners (or those renting a space) to think a little smarter about the rooms they have at their disposal.

The concept of double-duty rooms may be off putting for some, but with the right know-how your home will remain clutter free and just as spacious as homes twice its size. Not only that, smaller spaces mean spending less time on household chores and less money on energy bills. With a little imagination and a savvy eye for design, we don’t think there’s any need to swap a functional and stylish apartment space for a draughy old detached in the sticks.

More and more apartments are designed with open plan living in mind. Kitchen, dining room and lounging space all flow into one another, making a home feel instantly more spacious – and making hosting a large group a doddle.

What furniture will you need?

A long narrow fold out table pushed against the living room wall, can be used as a dining area, studio and office space depending on your needs. Attach shelves above the table and you have yourself a place to store plates and cutlery, or books and office supplies Alternatively, hide the office behind shutter doors in a repurposed wardrobe and stack all the necessary items on racks above the computer. Whenever you need a break, you are only ever a few steps away from the cosy couch and its welcoming pillows.

If at all possible, the bedroom should only be used for its primary function, to sleep. This may seem inefficient in terms of multifunctional space however this also means that the majority of clutter can be removed from little bedrooms. With a mountain of research showing that using a daytime space for sleeping can significantly impact quality of sleep, this is one area you don’t want to mess with.

However, corridor space can be used for extra storage or a beauty station. Hovering shelves or drawers can be used as a discreet make up stand that does not harbour unnecessary floor space.

Feel that you want to divide areas of your apartment off without building entire walls? Stand alone book shelves, plants or dividers can be used to divide up different areas in a more subtle, fluid fashion.

Playing around with the layout of your furniture can transform a simple room into a stylish multi-purpose space. Think about creating a ‘wise corner’ in your kitchen by installing a couple of shelves with your favourite books just above an armchair. Add a couple of modern wall racks for your cookery guides, mix them with supports for wines and spirits and your modern library is complete.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to apartment living. Treat your home as a blank canvas bursting with opportunity and let your imagination run wild as you plan out your layout.

If you like the idea of a 1,2, 3 or 4 bedroom luxury apartment in Edinburgh’s coolest postcode, why not find out more about Quartermile today? Simply visit www.qmile.com.

Avoiding Debt this Christmas

October 28, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

At the beginning of the year, in my Goodbye 2015, Hello 2016 post, I spoke a little about the debt I was in and how I hoped to get out of it during the year. I am pleased to say, that with almost ten months of the year passed, I definitely have less debt now than I did at the beginning but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. At around June-July, my money problems hit an all-time low, with phone calls from my bank and the worry of losing my account altogether. It really helped me pull myself together but it was a mess I could have avoided. While too much spending and not enough earning was the main route of the problem, transferring money backwards and forwards between Paypal accounts was what really caused the red flag on my account. Using a short term loan company would have avoided all the hassle I had, as that could have bridged the gap when I needed money and didn’t have it coming in till later. Instead I had money coming in and going out every few days as my Paypal transactions cleared, meaning a lot of unusual activity in my account which ultimately lead to it being put under scrutiny and all my transactions monitored.

Having worked really hard, to get myself out of the mess I caused, it made me realise how much I didn’t want to get back into it, with Christmas around the corner. I have to admit that Christmas is actually my biggest weak spot, especially with the kids. I always want to give them the world and I know that sometimes I spend more than I have. Over the last few months I’ve found that one of the best ways to not spend, is to actually not look. Sites like Hot Topic and Disney Store, my two biggest weaknesses, are best to just avoid altogether and therefore not be tempted to spend. However at Christmas time, its all about browsing the shops – whether online or in person. To avoid getting into a mess, I’ve set my mind to a few certain things.

Making a list in advance and adding up the total, even before buying.
It’s hard to decide how much to spend on a person at Christmas, especially a child. I always see so many things for my best friends, my partner and my kids – making it hard to pick just one or two things to get and not go completely over budget. However this year as neither of the girls have much they want, I’m setting myself on gift vouchers and the odd gift as I think about it. I’ve started to make a list of ideas and eventually I will palm off ideas to relatives and keep some for myself. I’m going to set myself a budget and not go over it – meaning I will need to swap things in and out of the list, instead of just adding things on.

Adding to a cart (or real life shopping basket) and then taking time to think about it.
It’s not as easy when you’re shopping in person, but I have been known to put the whole contents of my basket back on the shelves. I’ve definitely abandoned online carts without checking out too. Sometimes its good to go through and browse, adding the things you like but then walk away and think on it. Often I’ve come back and taken half the items out, realising I don’t really need them. Other times I’ve realised I need none of it and haven’t checked out at all.

Just because there is a voucher for it in an email, doesn’t mean you have to buy something.
Recently I’ve had a few discount codes and I know coming up to Christmas there will be plenty more, especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, not to mention last minute sales. I always open up the sites and see what bargains I can grab, especially with 20% off or whatever the discount might be. Just remember that if you didn’t intend to buy it in the first place, do you really need it now – just because it has discount? Also does the discount really outweigh whatever the postage costs will be, or if you could find it elsewhere for cheaper.

Buy as and when you can afford it.
This is really the biggest one for me this year. As much as I love the idea of shopping early and getting everything organised, if I can’t afford it then I shouldn’t try to attempt it all at once. While spreading the cost is a great idea – I’ve definitely started picking up the odd bit here and there – it’s not worth getting everything in October just so you can say you’re done, if it makes you hard up for November and December (possibly even having a worse knock on effect). With my work, I have a lot of stock to build up for a Christmas Market doing. At the moment, all my spare cashflow goes on that. While I do want to get gift buying and not leave it all to the last minute, I also know I will probably be better off, after the Christmas Market has passed.

I’m sure if you were to google “avoiding debt this Christmas”, you would have loads of sites giving you some great ideas but these are just the ones that I’m aiming for. I’m hoping that by being open and accountable here on my blog, it will help me not to get all crazy and blow what little money I have and not make increase my debt back to where it was at the beginning of 2016.

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Wedding Wanderlust – Fall

October 20, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

I love traveling so much but I have to admit that recently my desire to save money for things closer to home, have stopped me even considering a holiday. I’d love to move house, treat myself to a new car and of course I would really like to get divorced from my ex, since we’ve been separated for 6 years. With my two best friends finding themselves in new relationships and another friendship couple getting engaged, I have to admit my mind wanders to weddings, despite not being especially fussed about getting re-married (for a third time) myself. That said, I thought it would be fun to make a post every season, with a few ideas for rings, dresses and even venues/places that I would like.

A while back I shared a post about some Disney rings that I would absolutely love, some of which would make nice engagement rings, especially with a Halloween theme. In all seriousness though, I would want a proper wedding band, definitely made from white gold or platinum as I’m not really a fan of the gold colour rings. Orla James makes some beautiful Platinum Wedding Rings which would definitely be a consideration and I would probably therefore have to have a more sensible engagement ring too.

My partner is a huge fan of things like skulls and zombies, so with an Autumn wedding, a Halloween theme would work well for both of us. I’ve also been married twice before so doing the whole white dress thing would be a bit weird and I would love to do something more crazy or costume. There are loads of really great choices for a wedding dress and while I wouldn’t want to go full on corpse’s bride, I would love something black (and of course slimming).

I throw murder mystery parties all of the time and I’ve often considered how fun being an events organiser would be. I think having a Halloween themed wedding would be incredible and there would be so much choice for decorating. You could go all black, orange and green, using many of the Halloween decorations found in stores, or you could go more classy with blacks and creams, with big candelabras, dripping wax and cauldrons with steam. I personally would sway more towards a Harry Potter theme I think, aiming for a wedding in the Great Hall feel.

Of course with an Autumn wedding, you could go for a Fall theme colours with greens and oranges, burnt red, all the colours of the leaves too. I used to love wearing all those colours as a teenager as I felt they went with my hair/eyes/skin etc and so although I would prefer the extremeness of a Halloween themed wedding, I could definitely go for a general Autumn theme too. It would be quite beautiful having it somewhere outside with all the natural colours for your palette.

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Fruit Smoothie Recipe

October 3, 2016 by Bel Leave a Comment

This week the girls and I tried out a Fruit Smoothie recipe, adapted slightly to our taste. The recipe itself came from a cookbook by Bright Horizons nursery and since it’s always great to get the kids involved, we all worked together to make the smoothie.

As its one of the recipes that doesn’t require cooking, it’s great to do with the kids as they often get bored waiting for things to cook or bake. This one just meant we got to chop up fruit and even better, use the blender!

Ingredients
– 200g Oranges
– 200g Apples
– 150g Pineapple
– 200g Bananas
– 150g Raspberries (but we used strawberries instead)

Instructions

Start by washing, peeling and chopping the fruit into 2cm dices. Place the chopped fruit into your blender and pulse. Once the mixture has been turned into a pulp, blend thoroughly until the mixture is a drinkable texture. Chill the mixture completely before serving.

There were lots of great recipes in the cookbook we were sent and we hope to try some others like the risotto, paella and carbonara. This post is in association with Bright Horizons nursery in Tytherington.