This is a collaborative post Renting a home doesn’t mean you have to settle for a bland, impersonal space. With a few clever tricks and removable updates, you can transform any rental into a cosy, personalised sanctuary that reflects your unique style and taste.  Here’s how to make your rented space feel more like your own, without risking your security deposit. Start with Colour One of the simplest ways to inject personality into a space is with colour. If painting walls is off-limits, consider using removable wallpaper or large, colourful artwork to brighten up your rooms. Removable wal ..read more

This post was prompted by a post from Wob (World of Books) on Facebook last week - apparently buying 144 pre-loved books will save one tree. I must admit that does still seem like quite a lot of books, but one of the reasons that I love buying my books second hand is for environmental reasons. Not only does it save on the resources required to print a new book, it also reduces waste and means that the same book can be enjoyed by many people. It's not the only reason that I buy many of my books second hand - here are some of the others: To save money This is very important to me. Recently I was ..read more

This is a collaborative post Vehicle safety doesn't come down to your tyres entirely. The brakes, seatbelts and condition of the windscreen also play a crucial role, among other systems. However, since tyres are in constant contact with the road while providing traction and manoeuvrability, they are prime candidates for any ongoing car that might be needed to improve safety. What do you need to know to ensure that you and other road users remain safe while you're behind the wheel? Read on to find out more about car tyre safety tips. Pump your tyres up Under-inflated tyres can be a killer on th ..read more

This is a collaborative post It’s not uncommon to see people at the airport with a generally unpolished and haggard look as they rush to board their scheduled flight. As such, you might think it an insurmountable task to come up with a style that can make you look chic and refined as you make your way through the airport and board your next flight. Whether you’re traveling for business or for pleasure, you can put together a travel look that’s polished and comfortable with a bit of effort and good fashion sense. With a lot of people at the airport dressing a little too casually these days ..read more

On our recent trip to New York, one of the places that I was really keen to visit was The High Line. The High Line is a park which has been built on an abandoned elevated railway track, running from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to 34th Street near the Javits Center. It's free to enter and is open daily from 7pm-8pm in winter and until 10pm in summer. We visited on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the end of March, and it was very busy. It's a little early in the year for much to be growing, so the park was sparse in places. But there is plenty of artwork displayed to add some colo ..read more

Recently I shared some of the things that I saw on our recent trip to New York and Washington, and I mentioned that we had now seen all of the retired space shuttles. I thought I'd put together a post about where all the space shuttles can now be seen, as they are awesome to see in person! The best thing is that they are all displayed in different ways to showcase their various features and uses, so even though the shuttles themselves are similar you can learn new things about them as you see each one. Space Shuttle Atlantis Atlantis is on display at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and th ..read more

This Easter we finally managed the trip to New York and Washington that was originally planned for March 2020. We spent 6 nights in New York, 5 nights in Washington D.C. and travelled by train between the two. It was a brilliant holiday, with lots of walking and sightseeing. I feel like my head is full of all the amazing things that we saw!  Here are just some of them: On our first evening in New York we all booked a trial for the Apple Vision Pro at the shop in Grand Central Station. I've written before about how I was interested to see the technology in action, and we weren't disap ..read more

My current read is The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon (affiliate link). I discovered it a little while ago when I was reading a fiction book which quoted extracts at the beginning of chapters - My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki (affiliate link).  The Pillow Book was written during the 990s and early 1000s in Japan. It's collection of thoughts, lists, poems, anecdotes and other musings, recorded by Sei Shonagon about her daily life as a court lady to the empress. I've only just started but I'm really enjoying it so far, the translation is really easy to read and many of the sections are rea ..read more

I've been looking around the house recently and thinking that I'm well overdue for a good declutter. It's been ages since I last took part in a decluttering challenge, and things are starting to pile up a bit. My poor bookshelves in particular are looking a little overcrowded, and there are lots of random things lying about that need to be sorted. I've noticed so many things in the house that I really don't need but I just can't help keeping. They include: Scrap paper - I can't bear to throw away any piece of paper that might come in useful. Letters that are only printed on one side, spare pag ..read more

Recently I wrote about some of the things that I think about when I'm running, and one of them was wondering what the people I see out and about are listening to on their headphones. Is it just me, or are more and more people wearing headphones? I notice it more and more! Usually just the ear bud style, but also large over the head ones. If I'm running behind someone and want to overtake I never know if they can hear me coming, even if I try to let them know I'm behind them with an 'excuse me'. I have a decent pair of bone conduction headphone, but even though they leave my ears free I don't f ..read more