We've had some terrible news. Last week we took Dave (our cat) to the vet because he was feeling unwell, and they found lumps in his bowel which scans confirmed was bowel cancer. Scans showed that the cancer had spread to his kidneys so surgery isn't an option. Instead we are treating him with steroid injections and lots of love at home. With any luck he might make it to his 12th birthday in December, but it doesn't look likely. We are devastated. Yes, Dave is our cat. But he's not just a cat. He's our best friend and chief work-overseer. He's a leg-rubber, food-taster and knee-breaking lap-warmer. He's the bringer of a hair garnish in every cup of...
School's (nearly) out for summer and now comes the inevitable searching for gifts for your child's teacher... but STOP! I used to be a teaching assistant in a wonderful primary school, and I've got some insider knowledge from the staffroom for you: your child's teacher does not want another 'best teacher' mug...true fact! They are likely to get around 30 of these each year...with the best will in the world, there is just not enough space! So save your money and the planet's resources by following this pro-tip: All a teacher or teaching assistant really wants is a Thank You card that's been hand-written by your child. That's it! I've still got a drawer-full of all the cards I've been...
When you pre-order your ‘It Takes All Sorts’ print, you are making the world a better place: When I set up this pre-order I did so with the intention of supporting a charity. ASSIST Sheffield are a charity that works with the most vulnerable members of our communities and helps to keep them off the street and from slipping into destitution. £5 from each pre-order of the ‘It Takes All Sorts’ print will be donated to ASSIST Sheffield to support their awesome work helping asylum seekers from falling through the cracks. Asylum seekers flee their country of origin for many different reasons including religious persecution, war, threats to life because of sexual orientation and hunger. These are people who need...
For a long time I haven't been using Amazon and last week I finally deleted my account fully and requested a deletion of my details. And here are some of my reasons why: Amazon's treatment of their workers: Amazon are continually coming under attack regarding their treatment of their workers. The fact that Amazon oppose trade-unions should ring alarm bells as a consumer or an employee. Why would a company fear a trade-union (which is a collection or group that aims to protect worker's rights) unless they do not have their worker's interests at heart? Right?! The BBC did an undercover report at Amazon's delivery depot in Avonmouth U.K. in November 2016 and found that after deductions, including van hire...
You've probably heard people advertising pre-orders, especially amongst the indie-biz community. But what exactly is a pre-order? Basically, with a pre-order you agree to buy a product before it has been created or officially released, and often your money will go towards the production of the thing you'll be buying. Pre-orders are brilliant ways for small businesses to find out how popular their product idea is before investing a lot of money in it. So if you support a small business pre-order, you'll be helping a business that likely doesn't have the money to waste. And that's a great feeling, right?! But that might not be the only reason! Pre-orders are also a great way to build hype and momentum...
