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Archive for the General Category

“We Have Moved”

blog fastlinxsWe have moved over to our sister blog site. Please pop over and join us there.

Thank you for your coments over the last few years and hope you continue to leave coments on the new site.

http://haveyoursayuk.blogspot.com/
 http://www.h-y-s.co.uk

How Cats Communicate: By Chris J Miller

cat in hat Whether you have brought home an adorable kitten, an older cat, or you simply just want to get to know a cat a little bit better, there are many things that you can think about, but one thing that will be most beneficial is understanding a little bit of about the way that cats communicate. Cats definitely have a language of their own, and sometimes, it can be surprisingly eloquent. If you are interested in finding a good way to figure out what your cat is going on about, keep a few facts in mind.

Although any child can tell you that a cat goes meow, after a little bit of observation, you’ll notice that it goes far beyond that. The general sound that a cat makes can be varied by the pitch, the rhythm, the tone and the level of volume, and if you can start identifying these sounds, you’ll have a better grasp on what your cat is saying. Most simply and obviously, a loud purr is a request for more petting and physical contact.

Cats can make about 30 different sounds, and it has been observed that a cat who is without other cats in a human family tends to vocalize more, rather than relying on the body language that is a part of the cat’s language. Some feline body language, however, can be fairly apparent to humans. For instance, when a cat is relaxed, his ears will point forward, his eyes will half-close and he’ll purr. A cat who is more disturbed will have wide open eyes and his whiskers will be bristling, enabling him to learn more about his situation and keeping him alert to danger. An aggressive or angry cat will arch his back, flatten his ears and may bare his teeth or open his mouth to hiss.

Eye contact is an important part of the cat’s language. A straight stare can be a sign of your cat trying to intimidate or dominate a situation, and you’ll often see this behavior if you are trying to introduce another cat to his territory. If you yourself want to put your cat at ease while you’re examining him, stay still and slowly blink your eyes to show him that you are in a lazy mood, rather than an aggressive one.

Of course, one undesirable way that cats will communicate is through marking their territory. Repeated urination can be an indication of displeasure, especially if things have been moved around or the cat has decided to dislike a certain member of the household. Repeated urination can also be a sign of physical problems and aggression as well as territoriality, however, so remember to run this by your vet before you take corrective measures.

Take some time to learn the way that your cat talks, and before you know it, you’ll have an excellent measure of the way that he or she behaves!

Chris Miller is a loving and experienced cat owner who is for a limited time, offering his extensive cat course free of charge. It is jam-packed full of must-have information on how cats communicate
Check out: http://www.housecatcenter.com/cat-chat-how-cats-communicate.html

Recommended Read: The Cat in the Hat (Dr Seuss Green Back Books)By Dr. Seuss

 

The Cheltenham Festival

cheltenham racing 2008Yes folks its festival time in cheltenham, Horse racing is the main event, so much so there should be about 220 -240 000 people attending it over the 4 days.The feature race will be on tuesday The Smurfit Kappa Chapion Hurdle.

Wednesday we have the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Thursday is Ladies Day - also the long distance hurdlers.

Then Friday will be the highlight of the festival with the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

There is nothing quite like the crowd shouting out there horses name as they approach the final hill. such an atmosphere.

Will you be their or will you just watch at home either way you can share in the fun.

So i thought when i saw this, I thought you would like to know about it ….



So have great time and good luck .

Recommended Read : Cheltenham Festival Guide 2008

By :Paul Jones

 

MY SHOP - The Easy Way find products:by John Foster

This is an Easy way to search for a product you are looking for. Just type into the box and press enter.

How easy is that.

but that not all there is to this box, Once you are in MY SHOP you can search by price range.

Give it ago you may find just what you have been looking for eleswhere.

St Patrick’s Day : by John Foster

st patricks day

St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17th, is the Christian feast day which celebrates St. Patrick’s life.

How fast time is moving on, a lesson we must all learn - Time waits for no one.

So you need to make the most of your time here on earth, and let’s face no one has a better time than the Irish all over the world on St Pat’s day .

To me this is a great time for spending with your family and friends, sharing tales and stories of the family’s past.

Have a party and just enjoying ones self. Not forgetting of course that the day is a public holiday in both the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland.

The day is usually marked by parades around the world and Irish people around the world celebrate their roots and their culture. (But even if you’re not Irish there will be a welcome there for you)

Recommended Read for your children: Hooray for St. Patrick’s Day!: A Lift-The-Flap Book (Picture Puffin Books) By Joan Holub

   

Easter 2008 : by John Foster

easter chickenEaster moves about each year
It will, however, fall on March 23 in 2008, but will not do so again until 2160. So what is easter really about.

Easter, Pascha, or Resurrection Day, is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion some time in the period AD 27 to 33. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians and non-Christians alike.

Easter also refers to the season of the church year called Eastertide or the Easter Season. Traditionally the Easter Season lasted for the forty days from Easter Day until Ascension Day but now officially lasts for the fifty days until Pentecost. The first week of the Easter Season is known as Easter Week or the Octave of Easter.

Easter is termed a movable Christian holy day because it is not fixed in relation to the civil calendar. Easter falls at some point between late March and late April each year (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity), following the cycle of the moon.

Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover not only for much of its symbolism but also for its position in the calendar. The Last Supper shared by Jesus and his disciples before his crucifixion is generally thought of as a Passover meal, based on the chronology in the Gospels

It’s also a time for the family to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

However as with other bank holidays it seams to have been made commercial and the opportunity to make money is high on the corporate agenda.

easter 2008 So take time out and relax recharge your batteries, and read this book so you can share time with your children and find things to do over the easter period.

Easter Things to Make and Do (Usborne Activities) (Usborne Activities)By Kate Knighton and Leonie Pratt

 

Mother’s Day by John Foster

mother’s dayMother’s day (March 2nd) is next in line for this year’s celebration.  and makes me remember my mother and her life in which she gave so much to her family and friends, and touched the hearts of all she met, you see it’s not about being rich in life but having richness in your life.

And sharing the goodness within you that makes you special, and my mother had this in abundance, as I suspect do so many other mothers out there that will be descended upon by the children to say thanks for being there when they need her. 

So how do we show our appreciation - Well in modern times the Card plays a big part, but this year do something special and make your own.

It’s not so hard as most people will know someone with a printer  all you have to do is make it personal to your mother, try a 3 d card this involves sticking layers of card onto the front and building it up in layers. Flowers are good for this, I even used real ones but im sure you can come up with designs relevant to your mother.

Then of course the biggest time for the flower and plant industries and over the years you can now get a really nice display for less than ten pounds.

So go on do your best to say that special thank you because let me tell you, you only have one mother. and when they are gone they are gone but, you can still show your appreciation, for me I just close my eyes on mothers day and remember all the family get together and how mum and dad was the centre of our lives so happy together just having the children around them was enough to make them happy.

 I have a little cry and then I am thankful for receiving that goodness from both mum and dad that made me the person I am today.

God bless Mums and Dads all over the world.

 

Recommeded ReadIdeals Mothers Day (Ideals Mother’s Day)

By Julie K. Hogan, Ideals Publishing Corp.

Getting Old vs. Getting Older :By Jeff Herring

getting oldI was speaking today at a conference for foster parents, and got into a conversation with a woman who has 9 foster children. I mentioned that she must have a whole lot of energy. She said she just hopes she never gets old.

One the many things that struck me about the conversation was that there is a great deal of difference between getting old and getting older.

Getting old means losing your zest for life . Getting older is going to happen as the years add up. One is inevitable and the other is not.

How to get old

Here are some ways that I have observed in which people can get old:

Hardening of the references - Don’t confuse me with anything new or a different way of looking at things.

Seven last words - The seven last words spoken before someone gets old are

“I’ve always done it this way before.”

Less laughter - I’ve heard it said that we don’t stop laughing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop laughing.

How to get older

Learn from life and it’s experiences - If you are the exact same person as you were 20 years ago, then I would suggest that you have wasted 20 years.

Laugh - Laugh often: at yourself especially.

Learn from those that have gone before - Others have gotten older before us. It amazes me how so often we do not take advantage of the opportunity to “sit at the feet” of those older and wiser.

Grow old or grow older - it’s up to you.

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

Recommended Read : Getting Old Is When…: A Light-hearted Look at the Aging Process… From Crombie Jardine Publishing Limited

The Big 50 : by John Foster

50Well it’s fast approaching, in fact the 27th I shall be 50. When I was young a person the age of 50 seemed so old, but now I have arrived it’s not that bad actually, in fact being fifty i think will be OK.

Luckily I’m still of good health and have a great family for support and love.

Of course I’m looking forward to being 60 then 70 and so on, in fact I only celebrate them with a 0 at the end.

I still get out playing sports like golf, swimming, gym, 2km walk every morning, lucky to have sunshine nearly every day and live close to the sea.

Over the Hill expressions no longer fits the age.

So if like me you are turning 50 raise a glass and toast to the future, after all today is the first day of the rest of your life, so what you do from now will determine the outcome.

AND ITS THE YEAR OF GOLD - hint hint hope I get lots of gold presents.

Do I feel old? NO WAY

Recommended read : You Know You’re 50 When… By Richard Smith, Smith

Here are some of my favourite jokes from the book:

You know you’re 50 when –

on your second honeymoon, you tip the bellhop to carry her across the threshold.

you wonder how Mick Jagger stays so thin.

you drop off your dry cleaning at the post office.

‘performance anxiety’ refers to golf.

your children earn salaries, not allowances.

you’re still able to recall where you left your keys, but not what they unlock.

you now read Playboy for the fashion tips.

at last it’s okay to sleep late, but you can’t.

you carefully trip the fat from cookies.

staying power refers to remaining awake through Cats.

Florida starts looking good.

Slow Cooker Meals - Convenient and Delicious!by:Toby Ling

Slow cooker

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s ironic that a device called a slow cooker (also known as a crockpot) can actually help you save time! The slow cooker allows you to prepare the components of a meal before work or at some convenient time during the day. The cooking meal can then be left unattended while you get on with other things. The meal is planned so that it is ready at your regular dinner time.

So you’re not stuck doing labor intensive tasks over a stove, right at the end of the day when you are most tired and hungry!

The slow cooker is a very simple electric appliance: a tightly covered pot that cooks food at a low temperature for a long period of time. Many people think of one-pot recipes as being limited to stews or soups. The fact is just about anything can be cooked in a slow cooker! Meat entrees, soups, vegetarian, and even dessert!

Slow Cooker Tips

Get one with a removal pot. These can be lifted off the heating base and placed on the stove top. If you choose to, you can brown meats or sauté vegetables and there will be no extra dirty pans. You can also prepare the ingredients the night before, place the pot in the refrigerator and be ready to go the next morning.

Size - Slow cookers and crackpots come in different sizes ranging from 1.5 quarts to 7 quarts (1 quart = 4 cups). Choose one that is compatible with the size of your family.

Do a Test Run - Select a recipe and do a test run on a weekend when you’ll be around the house. This way, you can monitor the progress and note the amount of time your cooker needs. Most cookers have Low, Medium and High settings. Those settings will be at different temperatures, depending on the manufacturer. Even two different cookers from the same manufacturer might NOT require the same time for the same recipe.

Fill the slow cooker to 1/2 or 2/3 full only - If the cooker is too full, the food will not cook evenly.

Keep the lid on! - Every time you lift the lid, it can take up about 20 minutes to regain the lost heat, thus extending your cooking time.

Test for Doneness - Use a food thermometer to make sure that the meat and poultry have reached a safe internal temperature.

Visit slow-cooker.com for more info about slow cookers, including lots of recipes.

This article may be reprinted if proper credit is given and all links left intact.

Copyright©2005 Slow-Cooker.com

Toby Ling is a regular contributor to Slow-Cooker.com.

Recommended Read :  Healthy: Slow Cooker Recipes By Judith Finlayson