Consumer Product Reviews And Opinions

Doncaster Airport Is Open At Last

2006-08-05T01:10:00.000+01:00

From the moment I heard about the proposed plans for Doncaster airport I was a supporter. I even sported a sticker on my car showing my support, although there were a few folk in Doncaster who didn't want the plans to go ahead. Well tough luck because the plans did go ahead. Doncaster Airport was to be situated at the old RAF base in Finningley which boasts one of the longest runways in Europe. A terminal was built, staff were employed and trained, airline companies caught on and very soon it was ready for business.

Doncaster Airport (owned by Peel) was given the rather silly name of Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport but I can understand why it wasn't just named Doncaster Airport. After all not many people have heard of Doncaster, especially those who don't live in this country. From what i've read I think they used the name Robin Hood to attract international visitors to the airport, and Sheffield was added to the title as it's the closest city to Doncaster and more people have heard of it. Well regardless of it's official name most people refer to it as either Doncaster Airport, Donny Airport, or Finningley Airport (as it's situated at a village called Finningley)

Just a few short weeks ago this airport was opened for the first time and I had my flight tickets ready. We'd booked a holiday to Benidorm and whilst we usually fly from Manchester Airport or East Midlands this time we wanted to fly from Doncaster as it's only a few miles away from where we live. Much more handy.

The journey to the airport was very easy as we knew where it was but those unfamiliar with the place may struggle with directions at this moment in time as due to a dispute with the council on road signs there are only little yellow signs and these can be few and far between. Hopefully very shortly this should be sorted out but for now if you're travelling to Doncaster Airport I would find out the directions prior to travelling so you don't get lost.

On arrival the terminal building is pretty impressive. It looks state of the art with huge glass panelling and looks pretty much like an airport abroad. In fact because we arrived at the airport on a hot summers afternoon it felt like we were already abroad. The car park is huge and plenty of spaces were available including dozens of disabled spaces right near the terminal entrance. I'm unsure as to how much the car park costs as we were just dropped off.

Unfortunately we did encounter a slight problem straight away and one which i've never encountered before. You have to put a coin in the luggage trolleys to use them and we didn't know this so we had no change. It's a good job the shop (a Spar) inside the terminal was open otherwise we would have been stuck for change, thankfully they changed a note for us so everything was OK. The trolleys cost £1 or 1 euro which you get back when you take your trolley back.

Inside the terminal it's quite clear to see the building work hasn't quite finished yet. Work was still going on around us if rather quietly. Not many people were around, there was none of the airport hustle and bustle or noisiness. In fact it made a rather refreshing change. I'm sure once it's been open a while longer and more flights are taking off it'll get busier and more hectic but for now it's nice to have a quiet airport.

Checking in was easy although the clerks were a little slow, i'll give them a break though as they're new to the job and it's not like we were in a rush anyway. Once checked in you don't go to the other side like normal, instead you take a right turn and go up some stairs. So the 'other side' is actually the top floor. This reminds me a bit of Humberside Airport which is one of the smaller airports.

Departures is a fairly small area with a small duty free shop and a small general shop. To be honest it's not very impressive but i'm sure given time it'll be far better. There's a Costa Coffee Shop which does lovely coffee if a little on the expensive side and a bar. The smoking area is tiny and you have to wait your turn to sit down as no way is there enough room for all the vile smokers (which includes me)

One gripe I did have was the baby change facilities which to put it bluntly were crap. For a start there was no sign directing us to where it was so we had to ask. Then when we found it all it consisted of was a hard bench for changing the nappies, a sink and a toilet. No baby change mat was provided, no chair for breastfeeding Mums, no comfort whatsoever. There was even a hole in the ceiling with a wire hanging down. Still, like I said the airport isn't finished properly yet so hopefully they'll get this sorted ASAP.

Our plane was delayed slightly but only by half an hour. Whilst we were waiting to board we watched in laughter as the ground crew tried to empty the toilet on the plane but ended up covered in all the waste. That was rather funny. Still they're new at their jobs and I don't think they'll want to make that error again in a hurry. It gave us some decent entertainment whilst we waited though hahaha.

On returning to the airport after our holiday it was rather a disappointment. We had to wait 15 minutes on the plane after landing because the ground crew could only find one set of steps for us to unboard by. It was discovered the other set of steps were on another plane which had landed earlier that day so the whole plane ended up unboarding with just one set of steps. What they doing by not having enough steps? Go figure.

Luggage collection was pretty easy and as we were the only plane to have landed within ages the building was very quiet. Again the trolleys had to be paid for but at least there were plenty available unlike a lot of airports.

On entering arrivals the first thing I noticed was this disgusting smell of turps or something. Yeah welcome to Doncaster hahaha. The turps will disappear once the building work has finished but they could have tried to mask the smell with something. One HUGE bonus about arrivals is there is the good old Spar shop (where we got our change for the trolleys at the start of our journey) The Spar shop was still open even though it was past 11 at night, this was handy to stock up on milk and other essentials for when we got home. I can't remember ever entering an arrivals where you can access a shop, a huge bonus for Doncaster Airport in my eyes.

Taxi collection outside was a bit of a nightmare. There is a huge space for the official airport taxis but if you've ordered a taxi from other companies the pick up area is relatively small. I saw no-one get into an official airport taxi (probably too expensive) most people had ordered other taxis which meant there was a huge jumble of taxis spreading from one side of the airport to the other, and queueing even outside the airport park. As bad luck would have it our taxi took over half an hour to show up which really annoyed me as we only live a 10 minute drive from the airport but after waiting for our taxi for ages it took us nearly 45 minutes in total to get home. Not the airports fault, our taxi companies fault. Don't order Micks Taxis to pick you up from the airport as they're unreliable. Order Bawtry Taxis as I saw loads of them all arrive promptly.

So that concludes my review of Doncaster Airport (oh sorry I mean Robin Hood Doncaster Sheffield Airport) Yes there are a few teething problems but it's only just opened. Although not many flights take off from here yet it's sure to increase very rapidly. Already demand for tickets is so much higher than they ever anticipated. Another two terminal buildings are in the pipeline and more facilities and shops are to be built. Give it time and it'll be a fantastic airport to fly from, especially for me with living so close. It's a great benefit for Doncaster town and for the people who live here.

In time and when I fly from Doncaster again I shall update this review with changes they've made. For now i'd like to give it a 3.5 star as some areas could be improved but as I can't give half stars i'll have to give it 3. It pains me to not give it 5 stars but it's not a finished airport yet, a lot still needs to be worked on.

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EBAY Exploit, manipulate, prey on the weak

2006-08-05T01:06:00.000+01:00

What on earth is eBay?
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In short eBay is the most popular and well known auction site on the World Wide Web bringing online buying and selling to literally dozens of countries and languages. Not long ago the only place you could bid on an auction was at an auction house. The only places you could pick up decent 2nd hand items or genuine bargains were at car boot sales, dismal markets or charity shops. The only way you could earn money was to get a job or break the law. Not any more. With the introduction of eBay.com in 1995 came one of the biggest and most lucrative internet businesses ever seen and suddenly everyone, young and old, were eBaying.

www.eBay.co.uk is obviously my prefered site with me being a UK citizen so this particular site is the one i'm going to cover. I'm not gonna drone on about the obvious things such as how to become a registered member or how to place an item up for auction. If you want that kinda info there are eBay help pages which do a good enough job without me repeating it all here. I'm here to try to help you maximise your auction profits, teach you how to exploit other eBayers stupidity and laziness, and generally how to use eBay to your advantage. Make eBay work for you.

My perception of eBay before becoming an active member
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Firstly before we get onto the juicy stuff I should tell you I didn't always have a good opinion of eBay. I'm a cynical person by nature so when it comes to the internet i'm not exactly the most trusting person. I was especially wary of eBay because I expected to be ripped off. I didn't like the fact you couldn't touch or feel items before buying them. I worried about paying for things online. What if something went wrong?

As for selling my unwanted items/tat, I just couldn't be bothered. I thought it'd be too much hassle and hard work for not a lot of return. Rather than sell my items and make a bit of much needed dosh I either threw them in the bin, gave them to friends, or took them to the local charity shop. Let's face it, I was just too plain lazy to try.

I can honestly say now after being an active buyer and seller for a while I was right to be cynical about the buying part, being cynical helps you avoid the pitfalls. BUT I was wrong about selling being such hard work. In fact it's very easy work for quite a fair return and so much fun at the same time. My attitude to eBay has overall totally changed since I became actively involved and learnt my way around the site. I was a member for around a year before fully appreciating what eBay has to offer. I went from an extremely occasional browser to an every day eBayer within the blink of an eye. All it took was a little patience to learn the sly and crafty tricks of the trade and then there was no stopping me. Time to get to the interesting and juicy stuff then........

How to take advantage of sloppy and lazy sellers
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When i'm looking for a specific item i'll type combinations of keywords into the search bar. For example I recently searched for a Thomas The Tank Engine Bean Bag Chair. Rather than type in that whole sentence I would type in 'Thomas Chair' then i'd do another search for 'Thomas Bean Bag' then i'd do another one for 'Thomas Beanbag chair' etc. Even if 4 products are exactly the same the individual sellers may use totally different keywords in their item title so I research as much as possible and generally i'll go for the one where the seller has put less effort into the auction title and description. More often than not a poorly and sloppily written listing will reach a lower end price than a well written listing. Photos have the same effect, if not more so. A rubbish picture of a fantastic item will put no end of people off bidding. I've seen it happen before where one item has received zero bids and an identical item has reached over £10 come the auction end.

I've become an expert with regards to product/keyword searches, it's all about being inventive. Mis-spelt item titles are another favourite of mine for hunting out and exploiting. Search for Scoobydoo instead of Scooby Doo and sometimes you'll come across a little gem of a bargain. One purchase which instantly comes to mind is the iRobot DVD I bought. It was spelt with a number 'one' before the Robot rather than the correct letter 'i'. Well if sellers are gonna be sloppy with their listings it suits me fine so long as I can keep benefiting from their laziness.

Buy from sellers who eBayers stay away from
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I like to take my chances with newbie zero rated sellers. A lot of eBayers don't bid on auctions by zero rated newbies. Suits me fine as it means i'll hopefully bag another bargain. Hey there's nothing wrong with buying a low priced item off a newbie. If they turn out to be rip-off merchants you can always open an eBay or Paypal dispute against them. I'll take my chances if it means I may get a bargain thankyou

A fair amount of eBay sellers also put potential customers off bidding on their auctions by using the following phrase 'i'm not responsible for items lost/damaged in post' Lots of regular eBay forum members refuse to buy anything from a seller who washes their hands of all responsibility the minute the item is at the post office. You see the seller is actually FULLY RESPONSIBLE for items until the buyer receives them safely and soundly. I disregard the 'i'm not responsible' phrase cos I know damn well they are responsible no matter how much they protest, shout, kick or scream. Suits me if others refuse to bid on the auctions, it's less competition and more chance of a bargain for me.

As above those sellers who have strict and sometimes down right rude and aggresive T & Cs attached to their auctions usually find themselves with people refusing to bid. I don't care. If they get rude and aggresive with me they'll get the same attitude right back at them. Hey as long as I get my bargain and the item arrives safely I couldn't give a monkeys.

Choosing the right auction keywords to maximise profit potential
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How do you make your fortune out of something which rarely sells for even 99p? It's all in the power of marketing. Exploit certain product words and leave them open to more than one interpretation. Exagerate the greatness of something even if you think it's shite. Example, i've just sold a Madonna CD called Music. This CD rarely sells for even 99p as no-one wants it, it's a crap album and there's far too many of them listed on eBay. So how did I sell mine for £5.50 with £1.99 postage? Easy!! No-one else had bothered to market the CD as being a Special Limited Edition which included not one but TWO cds, one of which was a pink coloured cd and contained a video and loads of remixes. So with a carefully thought out auction title consisting of good keywords it attracted more potential customers than this CD would normally attract, plus by pointing out what everyone else had omitted it made my Madonna CD look quite unique (even though it's as common as muck in reality)

The correct auction title is probably the most important thing of all to consider as I proved with the Madonna CD. The words you choose are the words you're hoping people will type into the eBay search box. If good keywords have been chosen anyone who's looking for a product similar to what you're selling should be able to find your auction without a hint of bother. Use the entire title character allocation up, there's absolutely no excuse for leaving half the space blank. If you're selling a Simpsons Talking Radio Alarm Clock then make sure ALL those words are in the title, what's the point of just describing it as a Simpsons Talking Radio Alarm? All those people typing Simpsons Clock into the search box will not come across your auction cos you were to lazy to think about it logically and you missed out the word CLOCK. In the words of Homer Simpson, doh!! (this is a real example by the way)

Taking advantage of impulse buyers
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Oh impulse buyers are fab and there are so many of them. I've only recently started using the Buy It Now (known as BINs) feature to sell items and i've gotta admit it's much better than putting your item up for auction half the time. Of course it depends what the item is as to whether it'd be better on a BIN or an auction, but with things such as board games and PS2 games i've had much more success and made more money with BINs than I would've done if it'd gone through auction. With BINs you can afford to ask for more money than you really think you should be asking for your item. I just sold a used Yahtzee boxed game for £4.99 (BIN) with an extra £2.50 postage. At auction i'd have been lucky to get £3.50 for it. But when people want something immediately rather than wait a few days for an auction to finish they're usually willing to pay that bit extra. More fool them. With auctions the potential buyer has plenty of time to ummm and aaah about what they're willing to pay and whether they really want/need the item. With a BIN all it can take is 5 seconds of impulsive madness and they've gone and bought it before really thinking about it. I also try to undercut other BINs by 25/50p so mine is the best BIN deal to go for.

Let's not forget about the 'more money than sense' suckers
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I'm not experienced in this area as I don't sell the high value items that these suckers waste their money on. These suckers are the ones who think eBay is always the cheapest place to buy all items from and believe everything they see to be a bargain. It doesn't cross their naive minds that the item may be available elsewhere for a much cheaper price, they just don't bother to check. Mobile phones and MP3s (to name just 2 products) have been known to fetch a higher price when sold 2nd hand on eBay than it would cost to buy a brand new and boxed one from elsewhere. The sellers of these items must be rolling around crying with laughter. What an easy profit they must make. If I had the money to buy a couple of MP3s from a cheap shop (like Argos) i'd give it a shot myself. If people are willing to pay inflated prices then I wouldn't say no to taking advantage of these gullible sods and raking in the profit. It wouldn't be classed as ripping people off. An item is worth whatever people are prepared to pay for it so be it on their own stupid heads if they end up paying £50 over the value of the item.

How and where to buy resaleable easy profit making items
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Disclaimer - Incase the tax man is spying on me I must point out that I haven't specifically bought any items for the sole purpose of selling them at a profit on eBay or elsewhere. I'm just a normal private seller and do not operate as a business. Keep your smelly little noses out of my meagre little earnings and go catch those who make thousands in profit each year without declaring a penny of it whilst at the same time claiming disability benefit and every other allowance under the sun

BUT I can admit to buying items then flogging them for a profit on eBay a few months down the line when the item is no longer wanted. I've picked up a couple of things at car boots which have found there way onto my auction list. The latest item being a toy friction Noo Noo which was bought for 10p around a year ago and sold yesterday on eBay for £1.70 plus an extra £2.25 postage. I'm auctioning Scoop from Bob The Builder right now and that originally cost us 50p from the same car boot we bought Noo Noo from.

Products which are usually easily resaleable are childrens toys, childrens books and anything else relating to children (except clothes which I find a nightmare to flog) Buy popular branded toys for as little as possible from car boots. Haggle for all you're worth. Exploit the generosity and goodwill of car booters by getting as many items as you can for peanuts. Books by popular authors such as Rod Campbell and Mick Inkpen can be picked up 2nd hand for as little as20p, flog them on and make a good £1.50 profit on the pair. Unbranded toys will be more difficult to profit from but certain branded ones generally don't lose much value, and sometimes increase in value within a short period of time. Take the Cookie Monster puppet I bought just over a year ago from Woolworths for £9.99. I did a bit of research before deciding to put it up for auction and low and behold I found out this particular Cookie had been discontinued and was quite a rare item. It sold for over £30. I shall definitely be looking out for any of these at car boots (course i'll hang onto it for a few months before selling so the tax man doesn't get on his high horse)

In the meantime if anyone spies an old 70s/80s Brownie uniform can you forward it on to me please (it's a little known about money making treasure)

Pro-actively advertise your eBay auctions for FREE
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Such a simple idea and yet very much under-used. On the eBay home page down near the bottom is a link to the Want It Now section. This section is for members to place FREE adverts regarding products they WANT but are struggling (or too lazy) to find themselves. Now each time I put something up for auction I go straight to the Want It Now section to see if anyone is looking for a similar product to what i'm flogging. If I find someone that may be interested in my item I just click on the 'respond' link and place the eBay item number in there. It's such an easy and fast way to draw more potential customers to bid on your auctions. You're basically leading the horse to water. They're saying 'I WANT this kinda thing' and you go up and say 'hey i've GOT that kinda thing'. Hey presto!!

Exploitation, playing on weaknesses and profiting from laziness might seem wrong to some people.......
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.....but the name of the game on eBay is to grab a bargain and to sell at the best price. So long as rules are adhered to there's no harm in exploiting anything i've mentioned above. I can't say i've made enough of a profit to call it an income but the money has come in great use for various things. With just 11 weeks of proper eBaying under my belt i've made around £600/£700 which has paid for a family caravan holiday next year, dozens of bargain dvds, £80ish of Xmas pressies for my Son, i've withdrawn some money for general spending, bought other bits and bobs and still I have over £40 in my Paypal account which will go to buy more Xmas presents. I think i've done pretty damn well so far and it just goes to show if a lazy bum like me can do this well then so can anyone. I'd highly recommend you give it a shot. Just make sure you jump into eBaying with eyes wide open and full brain in gear. There's far worse people than me on there.

Freebie Hunting Money Grabbing Tight Arse

2006-08-05T01:02:00.000+01:00

It's been quite a while since I applied for lots of freebies though I do apply for a few bits and pieces here and there. There was a time (over 2 years ago) where I was addicted to freebie finding and sad old me would happily spend many hours wasting away scouring the net for all manner of freebies, giveaways and junk. Since I started applying for freebies all that time ago I must have accumulated at least two hundred freebie with things ranging from little crappy pieces of rubbish that have gone straight into the bin, to fab little items that i'm over the moon about. Everyone loves a freebie and I am certainly no exception. The poor postman at one point was delivering up to 10 parcels/envelopes a day. Yes I have my internet obsessions and this was my first.

So of all the junk and suprises I have received what are my favourite 10 free items? Below you'll find my countdown (or rather count-up because i'm odd) including links wherever possible so you too can get your mitts on something for nothing.

1. My best freebie ever has to have been an extremely sharp chefs knife. Now don't bother asking me where I managed to swindle this one from because i've got absolutely no idea whatsoever. That's the trouble with me. I used to apply for so many things that when I finally recieved them I didn't even realise i'd sent for them. Well strangely (and rather worryingly) this chefs knife came in just an envelope addressed to me without any word of the company it came from or any information at all. In fact at the time I can remember thinking how dangerous it was to send a sharp knife like this in just an envelope through the post. What if my Son had got hold of it? That would have been a disaster. But anyway he didn't get hold of it so that's OK. The knife itself is actually that sharp that my Hubby cut his finger open while chopping up spuds. Oh well, it's his own stupid fault. He should be more carfeul. This knife is still going strong today and is as sharp as ever over two years since I received it. It's also the most used knife in our house and the most used knife i've ever owned.

2. Original Source are a fantastic site who regularly give away quality freebies from their range of haircare and bath products. I've had many samples of various Original Source products over the past couple of years. My most recent sample was a trial size bottle rather than just a sachet. LOVELY! I love this brand. Right now they're giving away 1 free bottle of either shower gel, bath foam, shampoo or conditioner (various scents available) Just register with the site and order yours. Only 1 bottle per household is allowed so make sure you've plenty of addresses you can have them send a bottle to (such as parents, Grandparents, friends, neighbours etc) Here's the link http://www.originalsource.co.uk/home/

3. Dolmio vouchers were another great find of mine. When bored of the freebie sites what I used to do is go onto various different companies websites and send them an email asking if they've got any free samples as I am keen to try more of their range of products. This works an absolute treat. Dolmio sent me 3 x £1 vouchers which I could redeem at most shops where they sell the Dolmio range. Yippee! I love making Spag Bog so I exchanged the vouchers for 3 large jars of their tomato based cooking sauce. Such little effort on my part acquired me quite a large reward in return.

4. A free jar of Sacla Sauce makes it as my 4th best freebie. Sacla are another producer of cooking sauces whom i'd never heard of until one day a freebie site directed me to their website where they were giving away freebies. I joined up with their website and low and behold a few days later I recieved a voucher for a free jar worth up to the value of £2.50. Wow they sell expensive stuff. Well I made sure I got a jar worth £2.49, after all there's no point getting one worth 99p when they're allowing you up to £2.50 is there..?. I've just checked the Sacla site and although they state there's currently no offers or promotions it can't hurt to register with them and cross your fingers. Go to http://www.sacla.co.uk/ and give it a whirl.

5. 5 packets of Paxo stuffing jumps in at number 5. In reality you were only supposed to apply/register once but sod to that silly rule. I applied so many times I lost count. I think they became wise to me in the end because they stopped sending me them. I never really bought stuffing previously but it's now a regular item in the shopping trolley (Not the Paxo brand mind, nooo I buy the cheaper Tesco branded stuffing which tastes just as good) Go to http://www.britishturkey.co.uk/ and register your details if you want this freebie too. I can't confirm whether the freebie is still available as it was never advertised in the first place but it doesn't hurt to try it out. As with the last one, keep your fingers crossed.

6. Chesswoods cooking apron crawls in at number 6. I heard from freebie forums most people who applied for this never recieved it. Well I did! My Hubby has nicked this off me and now wears it with pride as he does the housework. I'm presuming all I did was register on the site and they sent it to me but don't quote me on that. The website address is http://www.chesswood.com/ but the site states only free recipe books are available at the present time. Y'never know though. Just register and see.

7. Free Yorkshire Tea is always a sure fire freebie bet. This is one of the most common freebies to be found. No matter which freebie site you go onto you'll find a link to this. I assume this freebie offer is on permanently as whenever I go to the website it's always mentioned. The link is http://www.bettysandtaylors.co.uk then you need to click on the 'Yorkshire Tea' link situated at the bottom of the page, on the next page click 'A Cuppa On Us' and away you go. Enter your details and you'll receive a sample box of 10 tea bags as quick as a flash. This freebie is number one when it comes to speed of delivery, sometimes all it takes is a few days. To date i've recieved 5 or 6 packs of the tea at least. While you're on this site search around for any free coffee samples available. They used to give away free packs of filter coffee (of which I received 4/5 packs) but the site looks like it's been redesigned and unfortunately I can't find the link.

8. Free yummy scrummy Jelly Beans. I'm not talking about the cheap and nasty fake ones. I'm talking about the proper Jelly Beans. Yum, yum. This freebie would have made it to number one if it wasn't for the slight difficulty and inconvenience involved in getting your mitts on them. The site in question gives away 100 free mini packs per day, every single day of the year. You can apply for four packs per residential address within a 3 month period but you can get around that silly rule by using your mothers/fathers/brothers/grandmas/neighbours address aswell. I find a way to get around everything. When all 100 packs have been applied for they restart the sample allocation at various times to give everyone a chance to apply for one. It used to be the case where if you applied for a pack at around 7 or 8 in the morning you were practically guaranteed to get one but these days it's harder to guess the time when the samples will restart. A couple of weeks ago I applied successfully at around 1 in the morning and received my yummy pack of Jelly Beans just a few short days later. The address is http://www.jellybelly-uk.com/survey if you want to have a go youself. There is a short Jelly Bean survey to complete but do what I do and just tick anything then it's over in no time and the pack will be yours.

9. Rarely do websites give out free toys but I found one that did and the offer is still available over two years later. All you need to do is register a child aged 4 or above with the site and a toy will be shipped out to the child. The toys are age specific but i'm unsure whether they're sex specific. I've registered my Son on 3 occasions using a different address and age for him. Using age 4 he received a little teddy bear. Using age 8 he received a crappy deck of cards which went straight in the bin. Best of all (and what i'd recommend) is registering your child as a 7/8 year old as when I used this age my Son received a bottle of magic everlasting bubbles which don't burst. He loved those. The link is http://www.time4toys.co.uk/toyclub/ One thing to bear in mind is the speed, or rather the lack of speed, which this company deliver the free toy. My Sons first toy arrived in around 4 months, the second in around 6 weeks, the third in around 2 months. Not the quickest freebie by all means but it's worth applying for all the same.

10. My final choice is a free large tub of Utterley Butterley. I was bored one day so I started clicking onto different websites and sending loads of emails asking for free samples, just like I did with Dolmio. Lucky old me was sent a voucher just a few days later for a free large tub. I'm not sure what site I went on to get this as sometimes I apply by the company name as opposed to the product name.

Freebies can be found everywhere, you just have to look around and have a bit of patience. My motto in life is 'why pay for something if you can get it free'. I'll tell you what, I must have recieved about £20 worth of freebies in one week alone back in my freebie heyday so it's definitely worth it. Hey, it pays for the internet usage if nothing else.

What I will say to those who apply for freebies is above all you have to be patient and don't assume all companies will keep their freebie promise. Some companies can take months to get on top of things and send out what they have promised you. Some companies don't even honour the agreement at all and you will never recieve it. Keep trying and keep applying, it's a great suprise to get out of bed in the morning to find a huge bundle of 'presents' at your door.

Of course there are many other perks to be had from the online world including receiving cold hard cash, vouchers, gifts etc. iPoints, MutualPoints, RPoints, Cashbag, Sweet Collect and tons of other sites reward members for completing surveys, using search engines, joining other sites, making online purchases. Some of these reward sites are more aimed towards the online goods purchaser which is no good if you don't buy online but it's perfect for frequent online buyers. Cashbag in particular stands above the rest if you're talking about money for nothing. I can't vouch for Cashbag completely as i've only been using this site a few weeks but so far the outlook is extremely sunny. Check it out yourself here http://www.cashbag.co.uk/ or click on the link on my Dooyoo profile page which will take you straight there.

Finally I can't finish this review without mentioning Dooyoo.co.uk and the other review site Ciao.co.uk. Dooyoo certainly has perks and those perks keep me supplied with DVDs from Amazon. At 3p per member read of each and every review no matter whether the review is helpful or not it works out very well for most members. Crowns are awarded each week which carry the value of £1.50 with them and thankfully these are pretty easy to receive unlike Ciao.co.uk whos monthly diamonds are more of a mystery than life itself. There are more review sites out there than just Ciao and Dooyoo but these are the main ones in my life and of these two I can say with 100% certainty that Dooyoo rewards members far better than Ciao.

So off you go then. Start to earn back the amount you pay for your internet connection (plus more) and have fun while you're at it.

PS. If you have a complaint with a particular company then make sure you tell them about it. The best free things come from complaints as I've found out. In one week alone I recieved a £5 gift voucher for McDonalds and £3 voucher for Asda after I emailed both companies with a letter of complaint. It pays to be a moaner so don't forget that.

The Blue Balloon - A Magical BIG Adventure

2006-08-05T00:57:00.000+01:00

Mick Inkpen has to be one of the most popular authors when it comes to young childrens books. His most famous and popular creation so far has to be Kipper The Dog. Many of his Kipper stories have been shown on TV and can be bought on DVD too. Other Mick Inkpen books include such titles as Penguin Small, Bear, Billy's Beetle, The Great Pet Sale and The Blue Balloon. The Blue Balloon is the book which i've chosen to review.

The Blue Balloon, although not specifically a book about Kipper The Dog, features Kipper within the story which is what prompted me to purchase this. My Son has always been a fan of Kipper and avidly watches the TV programmes and enjoys watching the Kipper Classic Collection dvd time and time again. He also already possessed two Kipper books, Kippers Sunny Day and Kipper And The Treehouse, so it seemed logical to introduce him to The Blue Balloon. Initially we purchased the hardback version from the local car boot sale for a mere 20p which turned out to be one of the best 20 pences ever spent.

The books storyline is pretty simple but also magical and fun. One day Kipper finds a soggy blue balloon in the garden. He gives this soggy blue balloon to his little boy 'owner' and together they discover this particular balloon has 'strange and wonderful powers'. This blue balloon is 'indestructible'. When blown up it grows 'bigger and bigger and bigger'. It 'never ever bursts, never ever'. It can become invisible and even takes them for a fly up to the moon and back.

Mick Inkpen really seems to know how to capture the imagination of children and produce timeless classics again and again. The Blue Balloon is probably my favourite of all his books because it's such a fun read. Regardless of the fact this is a young childrens book I also found it quite enthralling at first, and even after reading it to my Son Jake for the 30th time I wasn't tearing my hair out like with so many other books.

The words and sentences within the book are easy for youngsters to understand yet at the same time Mick Inkpen introduces children to new words. What I especially like about Mick Inkpen is he seems to understand children and he understands how to communicate with them. The fact he didn't start writing childrens books until he had young children himself is probably the main reason he's so good at getting onto their level whereas so many other childrens authors appear to know zilch about the language of children. When Mick introduces a new word such as 'indestructible' he accompanies it with a picture which explains what the word means. In fact throughout this book everything is cleverly explained through vibrant and simple yet descriptive pictures. Many of his books are illustrated by his friend Nick Butterworth but this particular book must have been illustrated by Mick Inkpen himself as there's no mention of anyone elses imput.

Another point i'd like to mention about the illustrations is the uniqueness regarding the way some of the pages magically enlarge. For example when the balloon is blown up and it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, the page unfolds and opens out until a gigantic picture of a blue balloon appears. It's these little touches which my Son loves the most as I can tell by Jakes voice getting louder each time he says "bigger and bigger" at the same time as he unfolds the page. Unfortunately the unfolding large pictures do have a tendancy to become ripped when little fingers open them up in an excited manner. It's nothing a bit of cellotape can't fix though.

This is a perfect bedtime story book as it's fairly short at around 24 pages. It's also good for early readers as the words are printed large and clear, the sentences are small and words are explained through pictures. I'd highly recommend The Blue Balloon for ages 2 and above, all children will no doubt love it just like my Son does. In fact he loves it so much I bought him a brand new paperback version from the school book club and sent the hardback version to his Grandmas so she too could share in the delights of The Blue Balloon. At this stage in time both myself, my Son Jake and his Grandma have read it so many times we've memorised the entire book and can read it from start to finish without even having it in front of us. Needless to say i'm very impressed with Jakes memory as it was partly down to him and his constant need to repete phrases which made me memorise the entire book too.

If you're interested in purchasing this book it can cost around £5/£7 depending on where you buy it. Amazon have it on special offer for £5.59 right now http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340757388/202-4703076-0647005 It works out much cheaper to buy from places such as eBay and especially car boot sales where it'll cost you a fraction of the retail price.

Cookie Monster - C Is For Cookie, Ooh Yeah!

2006-08-05T00:52:00.000+01:00

I'm as guilty as the next parent for spoiling my Son. When he's been a good boy (for once) I like to treat him to a little suprise. The treats are usually a 10p bar of choccie or a 10p pack of crisps but sometimes when i'm feeling a bit flush I do like to buy him a proper treat.

Just over a year ago on one of my suprise buying missions I came across the most fantastic toy i'd ever seen. It was a Fisher Price 'Me So Hungry' Talking Cookie Monster. WOW!!!! I remembered the Cookie Monster from my childhood so I was instantly drawn towards it and stood there playing with it like a child possessed in the middle of the shop. Reduced from £19.99 to £9.99 it was a bargain and as it was the last one in the shop I just HAD to have it.

What is the Fisher Price Me So Hungry Talking Cookie Monster ?
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This Cookie Monster is a glove puppet which stands at approximately 40cm tall. You put your hand inside the back of Cookie and squeeze his mouth together to hear lots of different phrases. The cookie in Cookies right hand has a sensor in it so as you put it in Cookies mouth he says even more phrases. The phrases are hilarious and if that isn't enough to entertain you in his left hand is another sensor which once pressed you can listen to Cookie sing the Cookie Song.

Below i've listed some of Cookies phrases for you:-

"More cookies please"
"Oh, me so hungry"
"Me tummy is empty"
"Me so full but me could always eat one more"
"Oh boy oh boy oh boy"
"Me think me had most cookies ever"
" Buuuuuuuurrrpppp"

And the Cookie Song goes like this:-

C is for cookie that's good enough for me
C is for cookie that's good enough for me
C is for cookie that's good enough for me
OH cookie cookie cookie starts with C, Yeah!!!!

Was it worth the money?
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Oh yes!!!! Cookie Monster was our little showpiece at home for quite a while. Whenever someone came to visit (adult visitors that is) we loved to get Cookie out and he never failed to make everyone chuckle. Everyone (adult) loved it and wanted one too. It has to be one of the best toys we've bought, although I don't think my Son would agree. The only downside I can think of is the fact you can't machine wash him due to the electrics inside. All you can do is dab him with a damp cloth and hope he doesn't get too mucky. Keep sticky fingers, drinks and everything else away from him otherwise you could end up with a mucky Cookie.

So what does my Son think about it then?
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Not a lot to be honest. When we first gave Cookie to him he looked at it rather funnily and then backed away and hid behind the sofa. Mmmmm, maybe it wasn't such a good idea for a toy seem as he's never heard of or seen the Cookie Monster before. Even after having Cookie for a few months it was still being ignored by him. Oh well, at least me and Hubby and visitors got the monies worth out of it.

Would I recommend Cookie and where can you buy him?
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I would actually recommend Cookie for kids though it's probably better to let them have a hold and play with it before forking out money. For adults it's definitely a little party piece.

We bought our Cookie from Woolworths though he's incredibly hard to find these days. Cookie has turned into a bit of a collectors item. Best place to look is at specialised toy stores or collectables sites and auction sites on the internet. Unfortunately due to the rarity of Cookie the price has jumped right up. I sold Cookie a short while ago on eBay for £32.50 which was a fantastic profit. Why did I sell him if I loved him so much? Well because I love money even more *grin*. eBay prices can vary between £10 and £35 so keep a watch out and grab yourself a fabulously entertaining bargain. Watch out at carboot sales too. Not many owners of Cookie will know about the price hike so you could possibly get your mits on him for just a few pounds.

Zebra's Stripes - Gaby Goldsack

2006-08-05T00:47:00.000+01:00

Whilst on holiday we were browsing round the shops in Llandudno one cold wet miserable day when we happened to come across Poundstretchers. Poundstretchers had a sale on and they had some childrens books reduced, just the thing to keep our Son entertained in the miserable holiday weather. One particular selection caught my eye - the selection consisted of 4 books which were all part of the Furry Tale series. Now we didn't want to be spending too much money on Jake and as the books were to be bought seperately at a cost of £1.90 each (reduced from £3) we decided to just buy him one. We handed Jake the books and let him choose himself - would it be Zebras Stripes? Lions Mane? Tigers Tale? or Elephants Trunk?..........................He chose Zebras Stripes and insisted on carrying it to the till himself so we could pay for it.

Zebras Stripes is a great little book consisting of only a few short pages. The short story is written as a poem and is really fun to read, even from an adults point of view. The front page of the book has a colourful picture of a Zebra which comes complete with a 'touch and feel' furry mane. It is this 'touch and feel' furry mane which initially attracted us to the books as Jake likes to read things which he can interact with and take part in.

On each of the pages are a number of different animals all brightly coloured which Jake loves pointing out and repeating the names of and copying the sounds of. On one of the pages the animals are playing hide and seek and it's upto the reader to try to spot where each animal is hiding.

I've got to admit there's not actually much to this book. It only has ten pages and not much wording, but it's the pictures and the interaction between adult and child which makes this appeal to kiddies. Basically it's up to the parent to elaborate on the book, point things out, teach the child the names and sounds of the animals etc...........But that's the kind of books I tend to buy for Jake. I don't like huge long stories, they can be darn tedious reading, but short stories like this allow for *me* as the parent to almost make up the story as I go along which i'm hoping Jake will pick up on and use his imagination himself.

As this is written in the form of a poem/rhyme it's a lot more jolly to read than his tedious Thomas The Tank Engine ones (which I used to love reading him but he's overdone them now) As an example as to how this book is written i'll give you the first two pages of this book - "Zebra has a host of friends of every shape and size. So if they all look different, it's really no suprise"................................Yes that was two pages worth, so you see it's a really short book which isn't too tasking to read.

As Jake loved this book so much we were really keen on buying him the rest of the collection but our holiday was at an end so we were unable to go back to the shop to buy the rest. So, a few days after getting home I trotted down to Doncasters own Poundstretcher to see if they also had the books. Imagine Jakes delight when he saw that they did!! Jakey is now the proud owner of the entire collection which he keeps beside his bed as he likes to have them read to him as bedtime stories.

Other information
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These books are written by Gaby Goldsack and the wonderfully bright pictures are illustrated by Charlie-Anne Turner. To be honest i'd not seen or heard of any of these books before buying them but the money was well spent. I would recommend this book/series to be suitable for the 18 months to 4 years age bracket but like everything it really depends on each individual child.

Cashbag - Who the hell needs a proper job ?

2006-08-05T00:32:00.000+01:00

I came across Cashbag.co.uk in late December whilst surfing for reward sites on Google. To my suprise I was already a member of Cashbag and had apparently joined in August. I must have registered with Cashbag through another reward site or something but i'd never bothered looking at the site and forgot it even existed until finding it by chance in December. As a member of other reward sites Cashbag really appealled to me as it seemed like a much easier place to earn rewards than my usual reward sites such as iPoints, MutualPoints and the shockingly bad SweetCollect.

What is Cashbag and how does it differ from similar sites?
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As previously mentioned Cashbag is an internet reward site where you can earn cashback by shopping online with hundreds of merchants, completing free offers, entering competitions and doing daily recurring clicks. It differs from many other reward sites by aiming as much towards non-online shoppers as it does to online shoppers. A lot of other reward sites such as iPoints generally appear to aim towards the online spenders and it can be hard to build those rewards up just by completing the free things.

Cashbag is much easier to earn high rewards without having to spend a penny. Plus Cashbag offer proper money as Cashback and completion of offers/clicks whereas iPoints and MutualPoints pay out in points which you then have to convert to cash. It seems much more worthwhile to see cash build up in your account rather than points. Also as a member you feel more inclined to take your time completing offers and clicks when the reward for doing so is stated in pounds/pence. As an example, MutualPoints offer 9 points per product search through the Kelkoo and Pricerunner comparison sites which I can never be bothered to complete because 9 points sounds crap. Cashbag offer 5p per Kelkoo seach and 10p per Pricerunner search which is much more encouraging and motivating.

First impressions about Cashbag
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As you've probably guessed my initial impression about this site was pretty good. The rewards seemed very encouraging and the site looked professional, none cluttered, easy on the eye and extremely easy to navigate. One thing bothered me though. Cashbag seemed too good to be true. Some of the offers and rewards appeared much MUCH too generous. One such cashback reward was for Blue Square Casino where to receive £36 cashback all you had to do was join the site and deposit £5. How would that work? Another one which seemed too good to be true was the eBay rewards scheme where for each bid you placed you'd be rewarded with 8p cashback and you were able to do this up to 100 times per day. This would enable you to earn up to £8 per day if you were shrewd enough with your bidding. Madness!!

Because of the one little niggle I had about Cashbag sounding too good to be true I read some reviews of the site before plunging headlong in, though unfortunately not many reviews existed. I also placed a message on a forum but again no-one had heard of the place. If it wasn't for Cashbag looking so professional and even having it's own member forum (which i'll talk about later) I may not have been so willing to jump in the way I did. I've dismissed other sites instantly due to the way they looked.

More about the ways to earn cashback rewards
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Cashbag has over 750 retailers/merchants participating in their reward scheme. Some of the retailers are well-known companies such as Marks & Spencer, Woolworths, Play.com, Comet, Asda and Direct line etc etc but also included are many smaller and less well-known retailers such as GroovyChocolate, eDiets, FragranceBay and GlassesDirect etc etc Hell they even offer cashback if you order online from Dominos Pizza and Cadburys which aint half bad. For online purchases the cashback awarded can be anything from 1% to 10% and even beyond.

Daily recurring clicks which involve completing searches on comparison sites are a permanent fixture on Cashbag and require no money to be spent. Rewards here range from 2p per search to 10p per search. This is a good way to build up your reward account at a steady pace but it can become extremely tedious doing them everyday when there's a much better way to get that reward account shooting right up almost instantly. This leads me nicely on to eBay.

Yes eBay. I loved the offer of 8p cashback per bid placed but unfortunately that offer has now ended. I probably made easily in excess of £100 through placing these eBay bids just during the last few days of december and 3 weeks of January. Shame it had to end as it was an excellent money earner once you worked out which items to bid on and how to go about doing it to the best advantage without ending up winning something (doesn't take brains to work out if you bid on a dvd box set which starts at 1p you can bid it up by 5p each time and make a fortune cashback without having any chance of winning) No problem about the offer ending though as now there's a much better eBay reward. Receive 35p cashback for every eBay item you purchase on a Buy It Now (BIN ) and you can purchase up to 100 BINs each day. You don't need brains to manipulate this reward either. Just purchase items such as ebooks, pictures or information etc which is on a BIN for 1p. If you do this you can earn £35 cashback per day by only having to pay out £1. If I had no life or Son to attend to i'd be purchasing 100 BINs each and every day. It'd make me an absolute fortune. Sod a real job in the real world.

The other rewards offered are in an area of the site called Fast Cash. Here you'll find dozens of offers and competitions which take only a couple of minutes each to complete for cashback rewards spanning from 5p to £3+.

Oh and let's not forget the £2.50 you get just for joining Cashbag and the 25p bonus you'll receive for recommending friends and family through your own unique referal link. For each person who joins using your link you'll also receive an added bonus of £2.25 when each person makes their first payment request. There's so many ways to earn money, is there any wonder I thought it all sounded too good to be true?

How long does it take for rewards to be added to your account?
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Some cashback rewards are added to your account after only a few days as I found out with a few of the Fast Cash offers I completed, but generally it takes between 30 and 45 days for each offer/reward to be validated, verified and added to your account. From what i've gathered from the forums most of the time Cashbag dedicate a certain period each month to upload certain things. For example the eBay rewards tend to be added around the 20-25th each month as one bulk lot.

For the first 4/5 weeks of becoming a member you may become disheartened as your account balance barely moves but stick it out and you'll soon see the cashback coming in thick and fast. Trust me, i've been there. My reward account remained pretty low for most of January but towards the end of the month the eBay rewards were uploaded and my account was shooting up before my eyes. Very pleasing.

What if i've got a problem, question or things go wrong?
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If you find you have a problem such as not receiving a particular reward there's a very simple form to complete. On the left side of the site there's a link called 'submit claim' which takes you to this form which you complete with basic details and claim information. This form then goes off to the claims department who'll look into it for you and aim to sort it out within 30-45 days. They'll apparently also let you know by email the outcome of the claim investigation. I can't give my opinion on this process as i've not had to go through it yet. (fingers crossed I won't ever have to)

For other problems, concerns, worries or just general chit-chat with other Cashbag members there's the Cashbag forum which is a great idea and addition to the site. I visit here every day as a guest and occasionally make a post or two. Cashbag Team Members and Staff even visit and are available to personally answer anything to do with Cashbag, they can even be seen having a bit of light banter in the General Chit-Chat area when they've got nowt better to do. It's rare to find an internet site these days where you can interact with the people who help run it.

The forum also has conversation areas dedicated to non-Cashbag chat such as competitions and freebie/samples/money saving hints, tips and links. I've ordered quite a few free samples from links given by members on this Cashbag forum. It saves me having to visit seperate freebie forums (such as Bobs Free Stuff) when this forum here has it all in one place.

Does Cashbag pay-out then? How long does it take?
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Yes Cashbag does pay out. My initial impression may have been it all sounded too good to be true but I can 100% clarify and promise that Cashbag does sound too good but IT IS true. Though I didn't start using Cashbag until towards the end of December I ended up with nearly £30 in my account at the end of January. Bare in mind that this £30 i'd been credited was mainly due to things i'd completed in December so it wasn't bad going at all. I'm looking forward to them crediting the January eBay bids which they should be processing in the next week or two. I'll have a small fortune coming to me (all being well)

You can cash out when your account reaches £15 which I think is a reasonable level to achieve. At the end of January I requested £25 of my earnings as a Paypal payment. In total all it took was ten days to reach my account. I was impressed.

There must be some bad points, surely?
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Well yeah I gotta admit that sometimes the site is a little slow to load pages. This is especially true when you're trying to view your account balance which seems to take forever. Cookies need to be cleared on your computer very regularly otherwise full rewards may not be received which isn't a big problem, just a minor inconvenience. Also there's a link called Daily Play on the left hand side which is total crap as all it takes you to is a useless Jackpot Joy scratchcard. Another downside could be the amount of spam/junk email you'll receive from offers/clicks completed. Now spam/junk emails don't bother me, it makes me feel loved when I receive hundreds of emails, but I know other people aren't so fond. At least the spam received from Cashbag isn't anywhere near as bad as other sites (SweetCollect instantly sprinds to mind) though a seperate email address would be wise if you're a spam hater.

One thing which really bugs me is having to go through the Cashbag link every time I want to do a BIN on eBay. It takes longer to keep closing the eBay browser down and reopening it through Cashbag for each and every purchase than it would to just keep eBay open and do 100 BINs all in one go. Unfortunately and understandably this can't be helped as eBay need to track all BINs individually and the only way to do this is to go through Cashbag each time. The same rule also applies for other daily multiple offers like the searches on the comparison sites. Whenever you're allowed to do something more than once a day you HAVE to go through the Cashbag link each time.

For non-UK based people there is one huge downside. Cashbag.co.uk is primarily for UK based people. You can still become a member if you live elsewhere but Cashbag can't guarantee you'll receive the rewards offered. I'm sure I read somewhere on the forum that there are some non-UK based members and quite a lot of the rewards do get credited to them though some don't. I'm sure I also read that although Cashbag allow non-UK members to join they don't advertise or encourage it and they will not chase reward claims up for them if they've not been credited to the persons account. This is because the decision to pay overseas members the cashback is up to the individual sites who are offering whatever the cashback is. So if Kelkoo are happy paying overseas members then you WILL be credited, but if Pricerunner only want UK based people you WON'T be credited (those were just two made-up examples) Don't take my word for gospel on the above comments but i'm sure it's more or less correct.

Let's sum up the good points then
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Simple and quick to join and each new member receives £2.50 in their account instantly. Easy and quick to earn good rewards without having to spend a penny. Extensive list of merchants who offer Cashback rewards for buying online. Great referral reward scheme. A community forum where members can chat to each other. Approachable staff who are available to answer questions and queries through the forum. Can redeem your reward money in 3 different ways. Quick to process and send out your reward money.

My overall opinion
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Cashbag.co.uk isn't particularly unique as an internet reward site as various other sites can be found offering more or less the same offers and cashback. Uniqueness doesn't bother or interest me though. What I am interested in is whether a site is pleasurable to be a member of and whether the site lives up to and honours what it states. This is why I love Cashbag. I may only have been an active member since the end of December but it's up there at the top of my favourite sites. I visit every day and probably spend more time using this site than anywhere else online.

These days most of the offers/clicks available are ignored by me as i've become addicted to the eBay rewards. I can't believe how easy it is to earn 35p by spending 1p on some rubbish ebook or an emailed photo of someones rusty old moped. OK so these particular eBay rewards haven't been added to my Cashbag account yet so I can't vouch for the manipulation of the scheme working, but there's absolutely no reason why it shouldn't work. I was credited full cashback for my December eBay bids and I manipulated it back then too. In fact if you read the Cashbag forum it appears everyone is doing the same thing when it comes to eBay. The forum is full of conversations involving members trying to get as much money possible for doing nothing. We're all a bunch of scammers, lazy arses and money loving manipulators at heart. Are you one too? If you are then give Cashbag.co.uk, and especially the eBay reward scheme, a good old try. I'd certainly highly recommend it anyway.

Stand-Up Ball Blast - They'll Have A Blast

2006-08-04T23:55:00.001+01:00

Our Godson Pierce is nearly a year older than our Son Jake which is very fortunate for us. Because of this age gap it means that we can assess the toys Pierce has and get to know what is good value and what is a waste of money before we actually buy products for our Son. On the 'recommendation' of Pierce we have bought many toys for Jake which he has grown to love, indeed we've also inherited a lot of his old toys too which has saved us even more money.

For Jakes first Christmas he recieved a great toy from Pierces Mummy. The toy in question is the Stand-Up Ball Blast. She bought it for Jake after seeing how much Pierce loved it and how it encouraged him to stand upright. Knowing how Jake was premature and knowing how much we were trying to encourage him to catch up to the toddler stage it was very good of her to think along our wavelength and buy him a toy which would help us.

What is the Stand-Up Ball Blast?
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If you take a look at the picture you should get the general idea. It's just basically a spiral structure which you roll balls down. At the base of the spiral are four openings for the balls to be retrieved from, at the top of the spiral is a large round red handle for toddlers to grasp and pull themselves up with. As you push the balls down the spiral groovy music sounds out, none of that nursery rhyme rubbish that i'm sick of hearing it's much more groovy than that. There is also a blue button with a smiley face on it right at the top of the toy, press the smiley face and yet more groovy music sounds out. Not only that but as the music sounds out it also activates the flashing lights which surround the red handle. Fantastic eh!!!!

Is it easy to put together?
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Of all the 'put together toys' Jake has had this has to be one of the easiest to erect. It comes in about 6 or 7 parts with easy to follow instructions. Once erected it is very firm, unlike many other toys that also require superglueing into place. In fact since Jake has outgrown this toy we have tried to dismantle it but it's refusing to budge.

Did/does Jake like it?
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Well put it this way, i've just brought it downstairs out of storage in order to write this review and Jake is going bonkers for the music again.

When he first recieved this toy he was too young to really understand what to do with it but he enjoyed watched me and daddy play with it and used to bop away to the music. After a few months he became more aware of his abilities and started to pop the ball on the spiral and watch it roll down, letting out a shrill giggle as it reached the end. Oh yes he definitely enjoyed this toy, especially when he was more mobile and able to do things for himself.

And did it help him to stand up?
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A firm YES to this one. He mainly used the settee to pull himself up to the standing position at first, but when he became a little more sturdy he would reach for this toy and stand upright holding onto the red handle for support. From then on there was no stopping him. He would drive us mad standing up beside this toy and constantly pressing the smiley face button for the music. Over and over again we had to listen to it, and he used to scream for us to bop away with him.

So what are the advantages of this toy?
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Well it obviously *does* help them to stand up as Jake has proved this point time and time again. It is also a very sturdy and durable toy, we've had it nearly 2 years and there's not a scratch on it. It is easily cleaned, just wipe it over with a damp cloth and it looks like new. The music is groovy. But best of all is the fact there's a volume control so you don't have to listen to it constantly blasting your eardrums.

And are there any disadvantages?
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Yes!!! One major disadvantage is the fact it's a pretty big toy to store. The base of it is about 40cm x 40cm and it's about 45cm tall, so if you've got very limited storage space keep this in mind as once the toy is assembled it's very hard to unassemble it. Also the biggest disadvantage I found was that the balls used to get jammed in the centre of the toy at the bottom rather than come out the little holes. Many a time I had to tilt the toy to one side in order for them to roll out, not a good thing to be wanting to do all day every day. I got around this by placing a book or small cushion under one side in order to keep it permanently tilted. Well it was a solution but realistically I shouldn't have had to come up with a solution.

Anything else to know?
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The Stand-up Ball Blast comes with approximately 6 balls, i'm unsure of the exact number because Jake has loads of these balls and i've forgotten what balls came with what toy. It is suitable from approximately 9 months onwards although Jake was more ready for it when he was about 18 months old. You can find this toy at most good toy stores such as Argos, Woolworths, Toys R Us, Index etc..............It's made by Fisher Price and costs around £19.99. The batteries which are required are 3 x AA size which come included when you buy it. Fortunately you don't have to change the batteires too frequently as Jake had well over 6 months of play with just the first set.

IMPORTANT
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There are loads of these toys on the internet at sites like Ebay where you can buy them so much cheaper than in the shops. If you have a look around you may be able to pick one up for just a few pounds, they last for years so a second hand one should be just as good as a brand new one.

Overall Conclusion
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This is definitely a great toy to buy your little one as they'll have hours/months of fun out of it. After nearly 2 years ours is still as good as new and if it wasn't for the fact Jake has loads of other toys we'd still be keeping this downstairs for him. It would be better if we didn't have to manually tilt it to retrieve the balls, and it's something Fisher Price should have discovered when it came to testing their product so therefore i'm only giving it 4 stars.

SweetCollect - Sweet F A

2006-08-04T23:48:00.000+01:00

I first heard of Sweetcollect.co.uk a couple of years ago when I spent a lot of time on freebie sites. What I heard in general wasn't very good. In fact it was rather shocking. They were notorious for not honouring their members. Notorious for not paying out. Notorious for being crap in general. Apart from the odd few lucky people most of the members never received the rewards from the site which they'd built up. For these reasons I never joined the site or even went to look at it. But a while back, probably around 6 months ago, I heard the site had been taken over and shaken up. I can't remember where I heard this and I have no idea as to whether what I heard was true but I decided to join up and see if it had turned a corner or if indeed it was still a seemingly scam internet site.

So what is Sweetcollect.co.uk? In short it's yet another internet reward site rather like iPoints and Mutalpoints. You receive rewards for such things as signing up to other internet sites, taking up offers and shopping. The only difference with Sweetcollect is you get rewarded with sweets rather than cold hard cash.

A bit about the basics
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Sign up is easy. Just follow the instructions, type a few details and away you go. One thing I must warn you about is the colour of the site. It's BRIGHT ILLUMINOUS PINK. It's not exactly easy on the eyes and I can't see it greatly appealing to the male of the species. Apart from that the site is very easy to navigate, the account information is very easy to understand and all the offers are on the whole very easy to complete.

So is it a good site then?
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Well some things are pretty good, like the daily click section. You can earn a sweet for doing something so simple as clicking onto a website. There are a number of these kinda deals and sometimes you can click up to 2/3 times on the same website for extra sweets. These take no effort whatsoever and within 5 minutes you could have earnt 10/15 sweets for just clicking away. You are also credited with a tube of Smarties just for joining and extra tubes of Smarties for referring someone to the site. I also like the fact the sweets are all different depending on which offer/click you complete. Sometimes it can be Smarties, or it could be Blackjack chews, Fruit Salad, Pixie Sticks, Jelly Monsters, Double Dips, Haribo Starmix etc etc.... Before long your account rewards looks like a mini sweet shop. Much better than just accumulating points like on iPoints or MutualPoints. Plus on Ipoints and Mutual it can take forever to accumulate enough points to be able to cash out whereas on Sweetcollect as soon as you've accumulated 25 sweets in your reward account you are able to cash out. In fact cashing out is done automatically on Sweetcollect. As soon as you reach at least 25 sweets rewarded your order is placed on a list to be sent to the dispatch centre. So yes, in theory it's a very good site......

BUT.......and it's a very BIG BUT
***************************************
I've now been a member for a few months and within no time i'd accumulated enough sweets to be able to cash out. By 30th of August I had easily enough sweets and was eagerly awaiting my package through the post. When I looked at my account information I was notified my order was on the list and due to be sent to the dispatch centre around the end of November. That was 3 months after i'd accumulated enough for payout. Oh well I suppose I could wait. In the meantime I carried on clicking away on the site and my reward total kept going up.

BUT what I also noticed was the date to be sent for dispatch also kept changing. One day it'd say November 30th, then it'd go up to December, then January, then back to December, then February, then December again etc etc and today I checked and it'd gone right up to January 21st again. My total amount of sweets accumulated now stands at 130 and still i've yet to see/eat a single reward. Needless to say I now use the site less and less, in fact they're lucky if I visit there once a week right now. The only thing I bother to do is check my account. They're having no more clicks or joining things from me until they show me they honour their obligations.

AND ALSO. Your Sweet collect personal account has a section for 'not completed' transactions. These are things you've clicked on/joined but not fully completed APPARENTLY. My 'not completed' list is massive. I can't be bothered to count every 'not completed' link in my account but there's easily over 40. I know for a fact some of these 'not completed' things HAVE been COMPLETED by me. For example I downloaded the new version of Messenger using a Sweetcollect link and was supposed to receive a free Skittles mini bag. They say I didn't complete the transaction when I KNOW I did because i'm currently using the new downloaded version of Messenger that I downloaded using this site. Another one is for Glowbay which I joined and was supposed to receive a Drumstick Lolly for. They say 'not completed' when I KNOW it is completed because i still go on Glowbay to this day (I'm 99% sure that Sweetcollect also own Glowbay) Another one is MutualPoints which they say 'not completed' Bullsh*t!! I joined through Sweetcollect and still use that site now so HOW did I NOT complete it.

I can hear you saying 'why don't you contact them about crediting your account for these not completed transactions?' Well the thing is I have no proof I completed these transactions. I will put an email together for them but I don't hold out much/any hope. Besides which, what's the point of disputing sweets which haven't been added when i'm having such trouble trying to get them to cash out on what I have been awarded? Yes that's my biggest gripe. I take time out of my day to try to earn rewards on a site, make the site itself lots of money through clicks and memberships and get Sweet F A in return. I've even referred at least 2 people to Sweetcollect so God knows how much profit they're also making from them.

Recommended or not?
*****************************
No I wouldn't recommend it. Hopefully some time next year i'll receive my sweeties but it leaves a bitter taste in your mouth when you have to wait so long for such a pathetic little reward. I thought when I joined that taking 20 minutes outa my day to accumulate enough sweets for a payout would be time well spent and it would have been if they'd sent my damn sweets. They've lost a frequent member in me. If they'd paid out promptly I would've been on that site every day but no way am I spending time on a site that so far is showing itself to be a scam.

I give Sweetcollect a big fat zero points for their site. It's crap. They're crap. So unless you like crap i'd suggest you stay far far away from it.

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BALBY - There's No Place Like Home

2006-06-11T05:22:00.000+01:00

Up in the North of England in South Yorkshire is a large town called Doncaster. Doncaster will probably be unknown to a lot of you, especially Southerners as half of you don't seem to know anything much about up North beyond the point of Manchester, but it is a very large town consisting of dozens of areas and villages. I live in a village called Balby which is just on the outskirts of Doncaster town centre. Balby itself is also huge although it's taken me nearly 27 years to realise just how huge and how much of a great place it is to live. It's always the case that when you're a child you would rather live anywhere in the world other than where you actually do live and to fully appreciate your birthplace I think you have to distance yourself from it. I first moved away from Balby a good few years ago and lived in various places for quite a while. I thought i'd never go back to Balby, after all what does Balby have to offer? But when it came to putting down roots for myself, buying a house and starting a family where did I go? Yes, I went back to Balby. So what makes this place so great? What does it have to offer? Why did it pull me back after I thought I loathed it for so many years? Let me take you on a journey with me, I'll warn you right now this is a very long review so if you fall asleep i'll understand.

I want to write about Balby for one specific reason. I'm writing this for me. I don't know whether we'll be living in Balby permanently although I very much doubt it so I want to write this review as a reminder of my birthplace. Also it would be great to tell you about a place you've probably never heard of before and may not have ever heard of without this review. Anyone thinking about moving up North will hopefully find a bit of useful information in here somewhere......

Balby has changed greatly over the years. At one point you even struggled to find it on maps, it barely seemed to exist. These days more and more houses have been built for a start. When I see all the new houses and estates I get flashbacks of all the empty and disused wasteland of my childhood years. Some people might not like the increase of housing but for Balby it has done us the world of good. More businesses have opened up as a result, more amenities are now available, both of these things create more job opportunities which in turn leads to a better environment to live in.

More houses of course means more schools but there's always been an abundant supply of them in Balby anyway. The schools of my childhood years are all still there barr one. Balby Middle School was knocked down some years ago as it was so old but the rest of them are still there. One in particular has been expanded beyond belief and now has a great reputation and is quite widely known. Balby Carr was my final school and it was OK but some things about it were not up to sctratch. Bullying was rife, drugs were smoked under the stairs daily, some of the rooms looked very worn, but overall the teachers were great. Once (and possibly more) it even had one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates in Yorkshire and Yorkshire is Britains biggest county. These days the school has been totally transformed and goes by the name of Balby Carr Community Sports College. This is a quote taken from the school website (http://www.balbycarr.doncaster.sch.uk/) "the school has seen the awarding of Sports College status and the building of a City Learning Centre within the school grounds, both of which have had a positive impact on the school and its pupils" My my how it has changed. I've got to say that this school now looks very impressive. We can't go forgetting the music department either. I was a member of the music department between the years 1990 - 1994 and it was the best thing about the school in my opinion. I was in the choir even though I can't sing for toffee. Yeah I know being a choir member isn't the most exciting thing in the world but we got to do some really fantastic things. For example we were asked to sing to the traffic jams on Balby Road (busy main rd leading to Doncaster) at 8 in the morning. That sound crap? Well we were asked to do it by the Big Breakfast, remember that show? We had Mark Lamaar standing with us (he was chainsmoking tut tut) at the Swan Inn and he was stopping cars because for some reason on that particular day there were no traffic jams. Typical! Anyway that's getting a bit off topic, the music department also travel abroad and perform concerts throughout Europe. I went to Prague for a week and i've never forgotten that trip. I still see pictures in the newspaper of the concerts they do, or the occasional charity drive like singing or playing concerts at Asda. This must surely be a school worth considering moving to Balby for.

Balby Carr may be the best school in terms of what it is but it's not my favourite school. The one place i'll always have a soft spot for is the one my Mum and three brothers also went to. Woodfield First School was my first school and I absolutely loved my time there. The school is still there just like it was when I was a kid and when my Mum was a kid. Nothing has changed except a bit of inside modernisation and they've replaced First School with Primary School. It looks exactly as I remember it at 5 years old. I really wanted my Son to go to this school but where I live is closer to another school, Waverley, so it's just easier to take him there. But there are other first/infant/primary schools in Balby too. Not forgetting there's also a private school just at the top of the small hill where I used to live. Then there's the special needs school. I could go on and on and on. Basically all you need to know is Balby is a great place when it comes to schooling and whichever part of Balby you live in you'll have a school just down the road. Families with children are the main residents of Balby.

The Alverley Estate is a young families idea of housing heaven and is situated towards the back end of Balby close to the villages of Loversall and Wadworth. I always ALWAYS wanted to live there as a kid because all my mates lived there. I've never come across a place so child friendly and family orientated. Back when I remember the Alverley all the neighbours knew each other, there were water fights in the cul de sacs in summer, a youthclub on the field in school holidays (Christian orientated) It was the place to be and I loved being friends with people who lived there as it made me feel a part of it. I'd have prefered to live there though.....I can't comment on the atmosphere of the estate these days as it's been a while since I played in the streets with my mates but I take a drive around there once in a while and although I don't see as many kids playing in the street it still looks how I remember it. Even the houses don't seem to have aged. Back then they were new builds whereas today they're probably going on for 30 years old, perhaps even more. I wouldn't want to live there today though. I think because i've such fond memories of it as a child it wouldn't live up to my adult expectations. You can never enjoy things like you did as a child when you are an adult. A very nice place to live, just a shame I didn't live there as a child.

While we're on the subject of The Alverley i've got to mention the pub. The Alverley Inn is right next to the estate and is definitely the best pub in Balby, no question. The first time I went there was probably about 8 years ago and i'd been dying to see the inside of it for so long. When I was a kid one of my classmates parents owned it but I never managed to weedle my way in so you can imagine my excitement when at 18/19 I went through that door for the first time. There was so much to it. It's not just an ordinary pub, it's a pub for absolutely everyone. You want child friendly? You go here. You want smoke free? You go here. You want a quiet drink? You go here. You wanna go out with your mates? You go here. Hell even local teenagers go here. The pub discriminates no-one and i've never seen a bit of trouble (although trouble is bound to happen at some point when alcohol is involved) There are seperate bars depending on what kinda thing you're looking for. It's pretty much reminiscent of a holiday camp entertainment area actually and looks nothing like a pub from the outside. There is a family lounge area which is the pubs biggest plus point. This area is where smoking is totally banned. It's well ventilated and even has a little bar/shop for the kiddies complete with sweets, chocolate and I think I even saw lucky dip bags for sale the last time I went. You can't even buy alcohol in this area although you can buy it in another bar and fetch it back with you. Not to mention the soft play area tucked away in the corner, which is much better than any Wacky Warehouse as this one never gets over busy. This pub has won multiple awards and I can see why. If we ever leave Balby I will miss this place. It's very rare you come across family orientated pubs these days and this one's been a godsend to us. I'm sure my Son Jake will miss the outdoor park and indoor play area too. We've had some great days out here. I wish they did food then it'd be the most perfect place ever (They still have highchairs though so full credit to them. Half the time even food places don't have decent highchairs)

Up at the other end of Balby around 1 mile from Doncaster town centre is my old gymnastics club which is still alive and kicking today. Rainbow Gymnastics Club can be found in an area of Balby called Cross Bank which is near Bridon Ropes and all the other industrial workplaces (see lots of job opportunities there) I wouldn't say it's a huge club, or indeed a successful club. In fact as I remember it the two head coaches were horrible most of the time. Just my luck that these two coaches were also teachers at one of my schools. I've since heard the Son of one of these coaches is now running it. Although it may sound as though I hated this club I did in fact love it. I was a member here for about 8 years and would love to go back and do it all over again. Gymnastic was my sport of choice until I became too tall, my Mother had ideas on the swimming front for me. Thank God Balby doesn't have its own swimming pool otherwise i'd have ended up living there. Incidentally Rainbow started its life based in the sports hall of Balby Carr School until they could afford their own building. The club grew and the rest is history. It's still going strong and i'd recommend it to anyone searching for a childrens gymnastic club in this area.

So who wants a bit of culture then? There's a few churches here too. One is called St Johns and is on Balby Rd (straight rd leading to town centre) This church has an impressive and quite rare Lyche Gate and the only reason I know such a trivial fact is because my Grandad helped to make this gate and there's an old black and white photograph somewhere as proof. Churches are definitely not my kinda thing but it's nice to know there are historical places of interest just down the road and I appreciate the fact that it's there. Strangely the chapel next to St Johns church is now a pharmacy. It looks very cool.

Of course you get the rough areas of every place and Balby is no exception. I didn't like walking through or past the rough council estates on my way home from school as that was where all the trouble seemed to be. The council estates are still there but some of the houses have been pulled down and rebuilt which has transformed the atmosphere in those areas and they're now non recognisable as a council estates. I don't like the new idea that Doncaster Council has come up with though. They're turning an old retirement home into a drug rehabilitation centre. I know these centres have to exist somewhere but when it's at the bottom of your road it can feel a bit close for comfort

Then there's also a large hospital, doctors, library, many childrens parks (complete with the standard dog poop), dentists, fitness clubs, McDonalds, giant Tesco store.....You name it we got it. The guy who sings St Elmos Fire (John Parr) used to live in Balby on Shepherds Road and the Open All Hours shop was one of those down the Carr Hill area. Now those are the kinda landmarks I prefer over churches any day. Want another trivial fact? Jeremy Clarkson crashed a very expensive car on a very quiet road in Loversall, just up the road from The Alverley. How the hell did he manage that one?

Summing up time..... Balby has improved beyond belief and really wasn't that bad to start with. Estate agents are opening up down the street from us, this is definitely an up and coming area. Just 5 years ago you could pick up a terraced house for £15,000 whereas now you're lucky to get the same one for less than £70,000. Have a look on this page towards the middle http://www.britishsurvey.org/Doncaster/Balby/#houseprices ... it all seems good to me (also good for the bank balance as we bought our property when they were at rock bottom prices) And what with Doncaster International Airport opening in just a few short days it is sure to attract more people and companies to invest around here. I can't see house prices dropping for quite some time. They're still way below the national average so as far as I can see the only way is up. Buying a house here right now is definitely a good investment in my eyes but you best be quick if you want that bargain.

There is also a direct link to Doncaster Train Station which is just over a mile away. You can walk there in 15 - 30 minutes. It must be a commuters dream. Not to mention how easy it is to just hop on a bus or how close we are to the A1 which sits nicely on our doorstep. We've got it easy here. Everything is within easy reach without the massive over congestion and crowds of big cities. It's about time Balby was noticed and put firmly on the map. This aint no small poxy village, it's a bloody great place to live and i'm glad I see it differently now.

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Lush Ocean Salt Review

2006-05-31T10:39:00.000+01:00

Although I do purchase Lush products i've only so far found two products which I love. Well two products and this Ocean Salt that is. I'm a big fan of their Big shampoo and Retread conditioner. The Big shampoo works a treat on my hair which is normally greasy and limp. I figured one of the ingredients within Big (the chunks of sea salt) was mainly to thank for this grease zapping miracle so I wondered if the Ocean Salt facial scrub would have the same effect on my manky greasy skin.

I picked up a 120g tub of Lush Ocean Salt from eBay for the fair price of £3.60 + £1.50 p&p though it can be far more expensive if there's a few bidders fighting it out. The usual price from Lush is £4.95 but there's no Lush shop where I live so it's either eBay or extortionate p&p by ordering for the Lush site for me.

Upon opening the small black tub of Ocean Salt the smell you are greeted with is one of lime which is one of the main ingredients. It's a very pleasant smell and one which is not overpowering. The cream is a lovely thick consistency and visibly contains lots of sea salt, both fine and coarse granules.

Usage is straightforward. Scoop out however much Ocean Salt you want (only a little is required) and gently rub onto your face. Once scrubbed just wash it off. Washing off is harder unless you want the vile taste of salt running into your mouth, bleurgh. What I do is use this in the bath then tilt my head forwards until it's submerged in the water and quickly wash it off whilst hoping nothing goes near my mouth. I've tried using this at the sink but the taste of the water running down my lips made me gag.

The good news is even if the taste is horrible the product really works on my skin. I use it nearly every day and barely get any greasy spots since i've bought it. My skin feels softer, smoother and cleaner for much longer. Other products have been known to give me dry patches around my nose but this one hasn't. Hopefully it'll keep me looking young too due to the skin rehydration and exfoliating action from the salt, the toning and refreshing action of the lime and grapefruit, and the polishing and smoothing effect of the coconut and avocado. Sounds good enough to eat, doesn't it? Well DON'T!

Lush recommend if you've got dry skin you should only use it once a week and sensitive skinned people should stay away completely due to the lime being too harsh for sensitive types. For oily skin, like mine, you can use it every day if you wish.

I do love this product and will continue to look for another cheap pot on eBay. I love the little black tub it comes in. I love the smell. I love the ease of use. I love the great and long lasting effect. The only thing I hate is the taste but barring this one thing I can't think of a single negative.

The pot is available in two sizes though you only really need the small 120g pot as it lasts for ages. If you'd like more info take a look on the Lush site http://www.lush.co.uk

Lush Big Shampoo Review

2006-05-31T09:05:00.000+01:00

Before I joined review sites i'd never heard of Lush in my life but with the sheer volume of Lush reviews on review sites it's very hard to ignore them. After reading a fair few dozen I swore i'd never become a Lush addict myself as their products seemed waaay too expensive for my tight-arse taste. Well I did manage to stay away from these products for quite a while helped by the fact that Doncaster hasn't got a Lush shop but unfortunately I was gradually drawn towards them and recently spent my entire birthday money at their website and ordered a whole bunch of expensive products. This is very rare for me as I don't tend to splash out on myself. I get more enjoyment from splashing out on Hubby and Son than I could ever get out of buying stuff for me.

BUT I have to admit I was curious about Lush from the start. Not because everyone seems to love them. More like the fact their products have such fantastically original names it kinda made me want to try them out. So amongst a few other purchases I bought the Lush Big Shampoo. The Lush Big Shampoo was the most expensive product I purchased at a cost of £6.95 which is the most expensive shampoo i've ever bought in my life.

My hair is what you'd call dull and limp. It's shoulder length, layered, blonde, and has a tendancy to get very greasy very quickly. If I wash my hair in the morning by the nightime it'll be looking greasy on top and then I either have to wash it again the next day or slap it back in a ponytail. This Big Shampoo claims to be a life affirming shampoo for more shine than you thought possible and turns dull, limp hair into shiny, silky hair with added volume. I was very sceptical I have to say but seem as it was my birthday and I was treating myself I thought i'd give it a go. After all, it couldn't possibly make my hair look any worse.

Firstly the shampoo doesn't come in a bottle like you'd have thought. It comes in a tub approximately 15cm in height and looks fairly posh. I don't claim to be a Lush expert but from what i've read i've gathered they handmake their products, they're all made from natural ingredients, and they are against animal testing.

The tub is at first quite hard to open. If you squeeze it slightly as you turn the lid it makes it much easier. After the first time it's fairly easy to open. Inside the shampoo looks more like frog spawn. It's a creamy white colour and the consistency is like watery jelly. The shampoo contains lots of raw sea salt which you can easily see, it feels lovely as you're rubbing it on your hair. Other ingredients are seaweed and lime juice. I can't say I can smell each of these ingredients seperately. In fact it's very hard to describe the smell but it's very nice, not overpowering, fresh, and long lasting.

The first time I used this shampoo I was a little disappointed that it didn't lather up as I was expecting. I rinsed the first lot out and put another small amount on (small amount is all you need each time) Well imagine my suprise when the second time it lathered up beautifully. It's the same everytime I use it. First wash no lather, second wash lots of lather. I have no idea why this happens but I usually wash my hair twice anyway so it's no big deal.

Unfortunately my hair goes very fly away if I don't use conditioner so at the same time as buying this I bought the Lush Retread Conditioner. I applied this after washing it twice and once dried my hair looked beautiful even if I do say so myself. Where my hair is usually limper than limp this time it actually looked like it had a bit of volume. OK so the volume wasn't huge but it definitely had more volume than normal. At the crown of my head the results were much more noticable. Instead of it lying flat and lifeless it was looking fresh, shiny and healthy.

I spent all day running my fingers through my hair and basking in the softness of it. My hair probably hadn't been this nice since I was a child. This shampoo was amazing. I loved it. But what would my hair look like after a night of sleeping on it?

Well the next morning imagine my shock when I looked in the mirror to find non-greasy hair. This was the first time in years i'd been able to wake up in the morning and not worry about the state of my hair. The volume was still there. The shine was still there. It still looked and smelt as good as if i'd just washed it. I was able to wear my hair down without the need to slap it back in a ponytail or wash it.

I've now used this shampoo about 8 times and every single time the results are fantastic. Although the tub is only a 330g one it does seem to last longer than I would've thought. I'm not even a quarter of the way down yet and i've used 16 lots of it (twice each wash) You only need to wash once with the shampoo but I would recommend you use a tiny amount first and wash it out, then apply a second slightly larger amount and wash. Like I mentioned previously the second lot seems to lather up and if you're a fan of lather like me then give it a try.

Yes it is expensive but I would say it's definitely worth it and i'm not looking forward to running out. As for hair suitability i'd say it's probably suitable for almost every type of hair out there although I would avoid it if you've already got thick hair. Ratings wise i'd have to give this a 5 star as I love it so much. I haven't the heart to dock a star for price and lack of lather for the first wash as they're only minor grumbles and ones I can easily live with. The shampoo does exactly what it says it should do and leaves your hair looking and feeling youthful again.

If you are interested in this or any other Lush products then have a look on their website which features hundreds upon hundreds of items. You'll also find a list of shops so you can check if there's one near you.

http://www.lushdns.co.uk/system/index.html

Alton Towers Review

2006-05-31T05:55:00.000+01:00

THE DAY BEFORE

I wanted to start this review slightly differently you see I haven't actually been to Alton Towers as of yet. No, but i'm off tomorrow and I can't wait. So I thought i'd give a little introduction and see whether the actual experience matches up to the expectation.

I have always wanted to go to Alton Towers, ever since I was a kid. But as I come from a large family it was out of the question because the ticket prices are astronomical in price and we just couldn't afford it. So my Husband suggested that we go tomorrow seen as our son is on holiday with his Grandparents. There is no way we would take a two year old there, it would be ridiculous spending all that money to get in and not be able to go on the rides.

We have scraped the ticket money together, just, and are fully expecting a whole day filled with thrills and such. I feel like a big kid. I've always wanted to go on the Nemesis and will definately head for that first. I'm sure everyone has heard that Alton Towers has the best rides, well I hope so. I LOVE rides.

One aspect I am fully aware of, and quite worried about to be honest, is the amount of queueing we may have to do. Now I don't mind waiting half an hour or so, but if we have to queue up 2 hours for each ride I will be rather disappointed. After all I want to get our moneys worth out of it, that's my poor Husbands hard earned wage.

So will Alton Towers live up to it's reputation?

Only time will tell!......................

Read on......................

THE DAY AFTER

Phew, I am so happy to be back at home. My body is aching and my feet are killing me, I have never walked so much in my life. I'm glad I went to Alton Towers, but was it worth it? Well lets just say that it wasn't what I expected. There were some aspects that were fabulous and some that were down right annoying. So read on to hear a full review about my day.

GETTING THERE

We set off at 8 in the morning to make sure we arrived for when the park opened at 9.30. As sods law would have it we got stuck in a major traffic jam on the M1 for over an hour, therefore we didn't arrive until nearly 11. We are useless at directions but found that Alton Towers was very easy to find as it was signposted very early on in the journey. Some of the roads closer to the park are fairly old and narrow so be careful if you drive yourself as otherwise you'll find yourself in a ditch.

CAR PARKING

There are two car parks once you arrive. One of those is situated right next to the park and it costs a whopping 6 quid to park there. The other is a little further out and costs 3 quid. I was astounded at this. How dare they charge customers to park there car when they are going to spend loads of money in the park anyway. At least the car park was well organised and set out, with parking attendants directing you on where to go.

GETTING INTO THE PARK

As we chose the cheaper car park to park in we were wondering how to actually get to the entrance of the park itself. I didn't fancy walking a mile. But we were very nicely directed to a Monorail which takes you directly to the entrance. This was the first queue we encountered. It took 15 minutes to wait for our turn and another 5 minutes to travel. I know it's only 20 minutes in total but thats 20 minutes of ride time gone.

PAYING

Once arriving at the payment booths we chose the smallest queue to stand in. I knew this was a bad idea cos everytime I stand in small queues they take the longest time to go down. Sure enough it took another 20 minutes to pay our entrance fees and get in. It only cost us 18 quid each to get in as a very nice la dy gave us a couple of discount vouchers as we were stood talking to her. There are lots of other different pricing options to choose from, too many to go into, but the normal price for a single adult is 26.50. There are family tickets available for just over 70 pounds and if you have a child under 4 it is free.

NAVIGATING THE PARK

Even Christopher Columbus would have difficulty navigating himself around this one. We did try to follow the map but the area that the park covers is just too vast. So we came to the conclusion that it would be best if we just went with our gut instinct and see where it took us.

We were none the wiser at the end of the day as to where each of the rides etc were. It is a very difficult park to get your bearings in when everything is surrounded by trees. Even trying to find the start of a queue for a ride was a chore and a half.

RIDES

Everyone has seen the adverts and heard the hype about Alton Towers having the best rides of all the theme parks. If you want the latest roller coaster or are an adrenalin junkie this is the place to be. So what do I think? Did the Nemesis hit all the right buttons? Is there something for everyone?

There is definitely something for everyone I can say that with assurance. The vast area this theme park covers means that they have been able to cram in much more choice than anywhere I have been before. Whether you are a little kid or a big kid there is bound to be something to satisfy you. The park includes the following:-

Nemesis - Ever since I can remember I have been dying to go on this ride. Everyone I knew had told me how brilliant it was and that you wouldn't experience anything like it anywhere else. All I can say to that is Bull S**t. This was the first ride I went on and I came off it feeling absolutely nauseous to the pit of my stomach. It was just too fast and jerky. I was left fe eling that i'd been tossed around in a tumble dryer and spat out at the end. The ride just went tooooo fast to enjoy it. By the time you realised it had started, it was all over. Very, very much over-rated. A 30 second ride is not my idea of fun!

Oblivion - This is the one that takes you up high into the air and then drops you into a black hole. Again this was a very short ride. It really was just a drop and nothing else. I have to admit that the adrenalin it gave me was excellent, but then it was over. What happened to proper rides that lasted a good couple of minutes?

Air - I had not heard of this one but I was assured it was supposed to be great. Air follows the same principal as Nemesis, but instead of hanging underneath the track and facing forwards, you are tilted so you are lying underneath and facing the ground. I was wary of this after Nemesis but I gave it a go anyway. I was glad I did because it was the best ride I have ever had, if maybe a little short. I felt really safe in the harness as it was made of a flexible rubber material that almost hugs you rather than restraining. Your feet and legs are also secured which really makes you feel totally safe. The track was really smooth and it gave you the impression you were flying. Absolutely fantastic. A must for everyone. I went on it twice.

Duel - This is a haunted house with a difference. Its a bit like a ghost ride crossed with laser quest. As you travel through the haunted house you are met by skulls, zombies and ghosts which you have to shoot with a laser gun. The score for each person is totted up as you go through and at the end you see who has the most points. The laser gun itself is slightly heavy and stiff to use but this is immensely enjoyable. I went on this 3 times I loved it so much. Another plus side is that there was no queues at all for this and it lasted about 2 minutes.

Spinball Whizzer - This is a cross between a bod standard roller coaster and wa ltzers. The cart which takes you round the track actually spins at the same time. I didn't feel totally safe on here I have to say. The only support was a crossbar which wasn't sufficient as it was a very jerky ride. It felt like you were about to fly out of the cart.

Runaway Mine Train - I think everyone has been on a Runaway Train ride at some point. It's not a great ride, but is ok for the smaller kids or Grannies. Pretty bod standard roller coaster really.

Other rides which are also featured include:-

Congo River Rapids
Corkscrew
The Flume
Submission
Enterprise
Skyride
Monorail
The Blade
Ripsaw

Small childrens rides and entertainments are situated throughout the park. The Tweenies are featuring at various times which their little fans will love. Rides for the young include:-

Tea Cup Ride
Gallopers Carousel
Old Macdonalds Tractor Ride
UG Swinger
UG Bugs

One big problem I do have with most of the rides I went on is that as you come out of the exit you go straight into a shop. You literally cannot leave a ride without walking right the way through each shop. Isn't it enough that they charge an extortionate fee for the rides, do they have to make you spend money in shops aswell. Oh and another thing, why do they charge 4.99 per photo after you get off the rides? Why do they take photos of you on EVERY ride? What? How much? Do they think we're all rich or something?

QUEUES

I was expecting the queueing times to be horrendous but they weren't at all bad considering that most schools had broke up for the Easter holidays. The longest we had to queue for any ride was 40 minutes for Air.

I don't know whether we are just thick but my Husband and I did have a little difficulty in finding some of the queues for the rides. You could see the queues alright but it was hard to find out how to join the queue a s the entrances to the rides were not neccessarily next to the rides.

AMUSEMENT ARCADES AND STALLS

Amusement arcades seem to be a common practice in theme parks these days and Alton Towers certainly has it's fair share. There are also many different funfair type stalls where you can win big fluffy toys etc. I'm more sensible than to pay all this money for the entrance fee and then spend loads more on seperate entertainment inside. Sod that!

FOOD AND DRINK

There were various food and drink outlets throughout the park including McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut. Unfortunately the price of the meals at these three places was very much inflated from the norm. I know this is because Alton Towers charges these companies massive ground rents so I can't blame it on them, but I can blame it on Alton Towers. Alton Towers seems out to grab any money it can from any source it can and we consumers suffer from it. Surely they make enough money from other ventures to be able to charge normal rent to KFC and the rest.

DISABLED ACCESS

People who are disabled but would still like to go on the rides are able to. There is a seperate entrance at the start of the rides for them to take. Staff then help them onto the rides if help is required.

Although I did see quite a number of people in wheelchairs here i really wouldn't advice it. This is because of the number of hills you have to climb on your travels. Alton Towers isn't the most wheelchair friendly place as it cannot be described as anything near flat. I felt really sorry for the ones that had to push the wheelchairs of the disabled people because they looked knackered.

TOILETS

Some parks I have been to really scrimp on the toilet facilities and you find yourself nearly wetting your pants looking for them. But at Alton To wers there are toilet blocks dotted all over the place and I never had to queue once. They were all fairly clean and (miracle of miracles) had loo roll in the ladies bogs.

SHOPS

As I said previously a lot of the shops are located at the exit of the rides so you have to walk through them so you can't fail to at least take a look at what they have to offer, even if you don't buy anything. They sell everything from clothes, toys, sweets, nik naks etc. The prices vary quite a lot and somethings are quite good value. If you like souvenior shopping my advice would be to look around a few of the shops as some of them have real bargains, whilst others just rip you off.

UPKEEP OF THE PARK

Considering the vast expanse of land it covers the park is very well kept. I didn't see much litter lying about on the paths. The grass was well kept and the toilets were cleaned regularly. I think they must employ quite a few handicapped people to do these kind of chores as I saw a couple whilst I was there. This is a really good idea.

You won't be searching for a bin to dispose of your litter because you will literally fall over one. They pop up all over the place. I counted 5 placed right in the middle of the queues to Air. There's nothing quite like saying 'don't drop litter' by putting bins right in your path.

EXITING THE PARK

I was gearing myself up for a long queue to get out of the car park. I know what these places can be like. But no, the car park seemed to empty really quickly and was very organised. Hey so maybe paying for this car park thing isn't so bad after all! What did grate on me was the queue for the monorail which had to take us back to the car park. The last thing you want at the end of a busy day is to wait for 15 minutes in another queue just to get back to your car.

MY CONCLUSION

Overall I did have a good day even if it does not sound like it. I wouldn't say that Alton Towers has lived up to my expectations and I think a lot of people exagerate the greatness of it. I don't look at it through rose tinted glasses like some people. Yes, some of the rides were good but the only ride that I thought was truly any better than other cheaper theme parks was Air. It is certainly not worth paying the extra money Alton Towers costs for one good ride.

I really wasn't expecting a ten mile hike to get from A to B and I found that this dampened my excitement for the rides somewhat. Knackering yourself out to get to the ride, to wait half an hour in a queue, for the ride to be over in 30 seconds, it doesn't really add up in my book.

I really do believe less is more when it comes to rides. An enjoyable ride that lasts 2 minutes is much better value for money than a 'extreme' ride that lasts 30 seconds.

ALTON TOWERS TAKE NOTE!!!