Spanish Cow

Remembering Making Stuff

The fun in making stuff, now, think back to a childhood before digital technology and when film could be stored upon something as thin as a sheet of paper…remember what I’m on about? I do, I remember it well, and the reason I remember it is because I arrived at the bus stop slightly earlier than usual this morning. There were two business men there, and instead of conversing about shares and who was more attractive in Ally Mcbeal, they were discussing being children. Meccano, Lego and building air-fix models. Oh, the sheer joy of hearing this…
Me, I hadn’t constructed anything for years. A shelf and wardrobe or two, but nothing that didn’t come from IKEA. Suddenly I, Mr Business, was transported back to those frustrating yet fun times of battling to make a model plane. Painting it, slaving over it, working on it well past my bed-time and my parents telling me off.
Of course, that making-things part of me never did go away. I now take the same kind of pride and practice in making money and making charts (mainly to do with payroll software related stuff) to demonstrate things to my colleagues and clients. And I am sure that I wouldn’t be as good at what I do now if I hadn’t had all that frustration back then. It’s certainly a concern that nowadays children don’t have the opportunity so readily in front of them to make simple things like model aircraft and basic building shapes.
But then again, what goes around comes around, so who knows? Maybe in a few years that will make a comeback. It couldn’t come sooner, I say.

Technology: Could We Do Without It?

Where would we be without technology and everything it enables us to do? In a whole lot of trouble and most certainly a society made up of frustrated individuals is what. Enigin are an energy saving company who know this only too well and who pride themselves on using technology to cut down on electricity and energy expenditure in general; by combining this with knowledgeable staff and distributors all over the world, the company are making a huge difference which More

Swimming

This is the third time I’ve swum in the past two weeks, following a gap of about two years. I can almost hear my swimming teacher’s voice – “Knees up together, kick out and round,”as I try to synchronize my legs.

The first few lengths are fairly easy then we enter the torture zone. I’m out of breath and uncoordinated, I see that the bottom of the pool is far from clean and don’t want to think about what wounds More

Design Masters

At the following link you’ll find the Enigindesign blog, and a post which asks the question (or talks about another blog which asked the question) “why is design important?”

To answer this question (and I can almost assure you this here post will probably be the last one which attempts to ask that question again), next time you walk around the supermarket, have a look at what’s on the shelves and where everything is placed. Pay attention to More

Money and Marriage

If you are thinking about getting married, there are so many things that you need to prepare yourself for. Money is one of them. It may not sound romantic, but couples need to have a serious talk about the state of their finances, before they walk down the aisle. This is something that is commonly over looked by many. But you can save yourself and your future spouse a lot of heartache by discussing your financial situations at the beginning of your marital journey. It will be necessary to share with your fiancé information about any outstanding debts that you may have, your philosophies about money, your financial goals and your views on spending. This is very important since conflicts about money are one of the main reasons couples get divorced.

Consider consulting a financial advisor and drafting up a pre-nuptial agreement. This legal document isn’t just for the wealthy and famous. They can help anyone who has money that they don’t want to lose during a nasty divorce. Many people don’t even consider this option since divorce isn’t exactly on a person’s mind when they are planning a wedding. A pre-nuptial agreement may not be for everyone. But there are situations where it can be practical. An example of this may be the person who is an heir to a large fortune, or someone who is a business owner. In these instances, it would be wise to put in writing how those assets would be handled if a divorce should take place. A pre-nuptial agreement can also protect children from losing their inheritance if one of their parents is getting married for the second time.

Don’t let the expense of your wedding get out of hand. The typical American wedding can cost more that $20,000. Some couples can easily afford this. Others cannot. Expensive weddings can cause a couple to begin their married life deeply in debt. This can put a major strain on a relationship. The first year of marriage can be challenging enough as couples adjust to their new life together. A new debt from a lavish wedding can only add to the burden. A wedding can be memorable without being expensive. The amount you spend on your wedding should comfortably fit into your budget.

Before you get married, it’s also a good idea to determine how you will mix your finances. Talk about what types of accounts you will have. Decide if you will have separate savings accounts and credit cards, or if you will do this jointly. Try not to have arguments about money. Respect your spouse’s views about finances and he or she will likely do the same for you.

What is going on in Hollywood?

If you have a favorite celebrity chances are there is gossip about them. There are newspapers, magazines, and websites devoted to celebrity gossip. With the technology age you do not even have to wait to the next day to get your update. There are places online that update with new content every five minutes. Can you believe there is a rumor or a scandal about a celebrity every five minutes? I mean, people really care who is dating who and More

Fruit & Veg!

Fruit & Veg. We all know we should have five a day and it’s all very important to our health and our lives and all that, but who really bothers? I mean really, do you? Do you actually have five separate fruit and veg things a day. OK, You over there might be nodding all smugly, and You in the corner by the window might be gloating like crazy too (sorry, I can’t include everyone, so apologies), but it’s a More

Time Is Of The Essence

Do you know all about that odd thing people sometimes mention called HTML? When seated in front of a computer does your mind boggle with wonder–Ooh, how much memory does it have–and Oooh, how fast does this puppy process information?! Ooooh…I must sell all my high-heeled shoes and purchase the latest computer gadgetry!

No, I don’t either, and my mind certainly doesn’t work in that way. You’re not alone there. I’m just a simple girl who loves shopping More

Parenting Tips for Women with Teens

Parenting a teen is one of the toughest jobs around. You are juggling trying to be the mom, a friend and a protector of your teen. Parenting a teen requires you to be the leader and although you want to be their friend, it is much more important that you are the person they can trust to make the right decisions for them. This can be difficult as many times the teenager is very challenging to handle. Below are some More

Umbrella Demons…

The UK is special: whereas, in other countries which get much more rain, people manage to go about their daily lives without too much harm coming to everyone around them, we in the UK like to get the good old-fashioned lethal weapon known as the cheap and nasty umbrella out as soon as it starts to drizzle just a bit. Pathetic! Notice that word: drizzle? That’s an English word too, of course. It depicts the kind of rain that More