Glamumous: June 2007

Despite the weather, we had a really great morning at a local car boot sale! It was just a small, simple one in the car park of our local community centre, but we bagged some great bargains, including this hat and coat for my little Angel:

They're pure wool, absolutely gorgeous! And the best thing was that they were only 20p, for the set! Can you believe that?

I also found some bargain books: The Cat in the Hat (and also his return), and Sarah Waters' Night watch in hardback for me, which were only 10p each. We went with a pocketful of change and only spend about £3 in all, though we all came back happy!

When the weather is warmer, we sometimes go to the major car boot sales out in the country, which can take hours to walk around! These sales are such a good place for bargain buys: we've built up a huge collection of Disney videos this way as they're usually around 50p each (whereas new ones are upwards of £10 in the shops), and always look out for mirrors, beautiful vases, fittings and other household stuff that we can buy for next to nothing.

If you ever fancy trying a car boot sale yourself, here's a few tips to get the most out of it:

Wear old shoes and trousers: car boot sales can be very muddy!
Have lots of loose change. When things cost 10p, you don't want to ask for change from a £20 note! Also, it's easier to barter when you have the right money!
Barter for everything! There are no fixed prices at car boot sales, and sellers almost always tell you a price higher than they will accept (even if it is already cheap!)
Take carrier bags, as sellers often run out!
Go very early if you want to find the best sales. Later in the day, such treasures will have already been snapped up!
Go quite late if you are looking for cheap bargains: as sellers are packing up, they are much more likely to sell you that beautiful green glass vase for 20p when their earlier asking price was £2!
Similarly, going on a day when the weather's bad will help you bag the bargains, as sellers just want to get rid of their stuff and go home!

Car boot sales are great for buying kids toys too. Last year, money was a bit short so we went to the sales just before the kids birthdays and found loads of great stuff they wanted which we otherwise couldn't afford. Clothes in every shape, size and design are found in plenty, so if you don't mind laundering second-hand clothes, there are designer bargains galore.

If you want to find listings of car boot sales in your ares, try CarBootCalendar.com which features all major UK car boot sales, flea markets and antiques fairs. Friday Ads also have regular listings of such sales and you can narrow your search by postcode.

An alternative, If you prefer to keep your boots clean, is to visit visit ibootsale from the comfort of your own home! You can even list items for free if there are things lying about at home that you want to get rid of.

Do let me know if you're a lover of car boot sales too by leaving your comments below. And if you're a CBS virgin, why not go out and visit one with the kids? It's a very cheap day out!

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A while back, a routine smear showed that I had abnormal cells: a pre-cancerous condition called dyskaryosis. I panicked at first, as I'm sure many women do when their smear results show abnormalities. After all, we don't often discuss our private female parts!

I was more than relieved to learn that dyskaryosis is not cancer, merely a condition which could become cancerous if left untreated for a number of years. Ten to fifteen years, as the doctors explained, though of course I wasn't taking any chances! I was referred to the hospital for a colposcopy (a detailed examination of the cervix) in order to find the most appropriate course of treatment. For me, this meant removing the affected cells using a treatment called diathermic loop: where heat is passed through a loop-type instrument to cut away the bad parts and cauterise the skin to prevent bleeding and infection.

It may sound painful, but believe me it wasn't! I had my treatment yesterday, and I wonder now why I'd got so worked up about the treatment in the first place! After the initial consultation and explanations, the treatment itself only lasted a matter of minutes and I barely felt a thing. Just a little aching and light headedness. I still ache a little now, and was told to expect some bleeding for the next few weeks until all is healed. No tampons, bubble bath or sex for a whole month, but this is a small price to pay for peace of mind, I'm sure!

For the next few years, I'll need smears more regularly than usual, just to make sure the problem doesn't return. And if it does, early detection will ensure it is most easily treated!

Most instances of cervical cancer occur because women have "slipped through the net" and haven't been screened as regularly as they could be. So, if it's been a long time since your last smear, please do yourself a favor and have one done. I know they're not pleasant and most uncomfortable, but at the end of the day, I'm sure you'd prefer to know you are healthy, or discover a small problem which can be easily treated, than leave it too long and discover the worst!

Technorati Tags: dyskaryosis diathermic+loop cervix cancer

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To my Little Angel,

This morning you were so excited: it's your first day of nursery school, and you just couldn't wait to go and play with the yellow teapot and paint Daddy a picture of a pussycat! Since we went for a brief visit last week, you haven't stopped talking about "nursery school" to anyone who would listen: even strangers we pass in the street! You're 28 months old now and are so grown up. A little girl, and not my little baby anymore, though you always will be in my heart.

I wanted you to pose for a photo as we went in the nursery gates, yet all you wanted to do was get inside and play. I was quite nervous for you: after all, this was the first time I'd ever left you in someone else's' care, except for the odd occasion when Daddy and I have been out in the evening when your Auntie would stay and read stories for you and your brother until you both fell asleep! Daddy was even more nervous than me: his little princess was venturing out into the world for the first time. No wonder he spoiled you with a new bag, clothes, lunchboxes and a huge basket of fruit to share with your friends!

When we went inside, you immediately ran over to the little play kitchen to look for the teapot you remembered from the last session. At first you ignored me when I asked for a kiss to say goodbye. Until you realised that the teapot was nowhere to be seen and needed me to find it for you! Straight away you began to make friends, handing out the plastic cups and spoons for the tea party you must have been planning all week. It was so good to watch you interact with the other children: how generous and friendly you were; all smiles and excitement, though perhaps a little shy to talk much at first.

When it came time for me to say goodbye, you didn't want to wave or even acknowledge that I was leaving. "It's probably a good thing" the teachers said as I made my exit with tears in my eyes. Though I didn't want you to be upset, I really wanted to feel that you'd miss me. Since the day you were born, I've always been your playmate; your comfort giver, the one you go to sleep with each night. And though I know you're growing up now, I don't ever want that feeling of being needed to go away.

I came to collect you a few minutes before the session ended, so you wouldn't feel left out if you saw other mummies leaving with their children first. When I entered the classroom, you didn't notice me straight away, and I stood and watched for a few moments as you finished your doodling, concentrating so hard on where the lines went as though it meant so much to you! When you finally noticed I was there, you dropped your pen and ran right over to give me a great big lovely hug that moved me so much with your affection, especially as you sobbed slightly, having seemed to miss me so much!

"She cried a little bit when she realised you were gone," explained the teacher. "But not much! She's played really well with all the other children." Exactly what I'd expected, if I'm honest. My little Angel is such a caring and affectionate little love that I can't imagine her being aggressive, or even rude.

I'm so glad that you had a good time at nursery school. On the way home, you told me all about the games you played, the "painting-drawing", the "dress up" and "kickey ball" in the yard.

"Do you want to go again next week?" I asked, as she sat in the back seat, eyes drooping with utter tiredness.

"Um," she replied smiling. "I go to nursery school again!"

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Every so often, a subject arises which I simply must air my thoughts about. This may not be something you wish to hear about, and I do apologise for any upset I may cause. But I have to write this post because this evening I saw a news article on TV which upset me so deeply I fear I may have nightmares about it.

The story was in fact good news: an international paedophile ring has been cracked: over 100 arrests have been made in the UK alone, and over 700 suspects worldwide. Over 30 children in the UK have been saved from abuse.

Children as young as a few months old.

This is what distresses me most of all.

Just a few words spoken by the spokesman for the Police paedophile unit, just a hint of what had been found on the "Son of God's" website, was enough to make me feel utterly sick. It brought me to tears.

As far as I'm concerned, these "animals" are the scum of the earth. In fact, they don't even deserve to be called animals, for no other living creature would perform such atrocities on their young. In recent weeks, we've heard news about voluntary "castration drugs" which could be offered to convicted paedophiles. Why stop at "voluntary", and even "drugs"?

I hate to write about such a terrible subject. More so, I feel disgusted that such things happen in our world. Yet when I was watching the news feature, I couldn't switch it over. Like watching a horror film, I had to see it through to the end, to find the happy ending, to know that there are people who fight such atrocious crimes and bring those guilty to justice:

"I'm absolutely delighted with the sentence. He [the coordinator of the ring] could be imprisoned for a very, very long time," said Michele Elliott, founder of the child protection charity Kidscape. "I am delighted that police forces in 35 countries have come together to ensure that kids are a little bit safer on the Internet." (Turkishpress.com)

Though thankfully, my family and I have never been victims of such atrocities, I feel so grateful to the CEOP and other agencies for helping keep our kids safe. Let's hope that these arrests serve as true deterrent.

Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Technorati Tags: paedophile | arrests | abuse | protect+children | childrens+safety |

Tunisian fricassee is a "fast-food" style snack that is often sold in the streets. It could be described as a fried sandwich (so unfortunately, these should really only be served as a special treat), but I almost died of culinary delight the first time I was given one! However, it isn't an easy dish to make, and does require some patience as you wait for the dough to rise. I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do once you try one.

Here's what you'll need:

Plain flour (about 200g)
Dried yeast (the type you'd use to make bread)
A spoonful of sugar (to help the yeast make the dough rise)
Cold water
Tin of tuna
Two medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes
Red and/or green peppers
Mayonnaise and/or chili paste
Sunflower oil for deep frying
A couple of hard boiled eggs
Black pitted olives
Salt and pepper

Here's what to do:

Firstly you need to prepare dough in the same way as you would if you were making bread. The method may differ depending on the type of yeast you are using, so if in doubt, refer to the bread making instructions found on the packet of yeast! Here's what I do (and please bear in mind that I don't use a measuring jug or scales: I've gotten good at making fricassee now!). In a large mixing bowl, I put 14 heaped dessert spoons of plain flour. In a small bowl, I mix 1 tbsp of dried yeast granules, 1 tbsp of granulated sugar and a little water then leave until it froths. This mixture is then added to the flour with a little salt and mixed thoroughly, adding more water as necessary until it forms a thick dough which comes away from the sides of the bowl.
Leave the dough to rise for at least an hour until it has doubled in size. I put mine in a warn place, covered with a tea-towel and a saucepan lid to help the process along.
While you're waiting for the dough, peel the potatoes and chop into very small cubes (about 1-2 cm) and boil in slightly salted water until cooked (IE: they slide off a fork when you try to skewer them).
De-seed the pepper(s) and chop finely into very small cubes. Do the same with half a cucumber if you like this in salads too.
Heat your oil to a very high temperature. I use a chip-frying pan for this as it seems the safest option. To check if the oil is hot enough, drop a cube of bread into the oil: it should become a crisp crouton in no less than 4 seconds!
Hopefully by now your dough will have risen to twice its size. You'll need to knead it thoroughly again and ensure it is of a good consistency (it should bounce back into shape if you push your finger in).
Sprinkle some flour on your work surface, and pull out a handful of the dough. Roll into a ball shape, and then squish into a flat oblong shape about 1/2 to 1cm thick. Gently place this into the hot oil and watch it rise into the shape of a small rugby ball. It will rise to the surface of the oil, so when the submerged side browns, flip it over to brown the other side (this usually takes a couple of minutes), then scoop out with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with absorbent kitchen towels to blot excess oil.
This first fricassee will most likely be the worst of the batch, so only fry one alone at first. When this is cooked, you could try 2/3 at a time, being careful to watch they don't burn!
Once you've used all of your dough (the mixture should make around 12), leave them to cool a little while you get your fillings together. Then slice them open at one side.
Fricassee fillings greatly depend on your tastes: in Tunisia, they are "buttered" with Harissa (a very hot regional chili paste) and filled with tuna, cooked potatoes and salad. I prefer to forgo the harissa and use mayonnaise instead, along with potatoes, tuna, peppers and cucumber.
Top with slices of hard boiled eggs and black olives, sit back and enjoy!

Whilst Tunisian fricassee are best eaten warm, they are still rather tasty when cooled and are great for lunchboxes and picnics (though they only really keep for a day in the fridge before going soggy). Experiment with different fillings, such as cooked chicken, traditional salads and eggs to discover new tastes and styles. Any way I'm sure you'll enjoy them!

More Tasty Tuesday recipes:

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