Spring Clean your Energy Bills + Giveaways
Declutter your bills this spring with the OWL Pink Micro – we have THREE to GIVEAWAY – see below
Think pink go green! … it says on the box – very true in this case! The unit is a somewhat lurid pink making it hard to miss! (husband’s description) – there is a reason!* – wife’s response.
This OWL Pink Micro eco gadget is a special limited edition version of the best selling OWL Micro electricity monitor. A small investment of £25.99 will raise funds to help 46,000 women a year fight breast cancer* and save you £135** on your yearly bills.
With the last of the ‘big six’ energy companies, EDF Energy, set to hike its energy prices this Spring, there is no better time to invest in an OWL Pink Micro.
The unit comes with an easy to follow instruction leaflet, batteries are supplied.
The display shows time, watts/ hour power, costs (after programming in the electricity cost charged by the supplier).
We had a lot of fun with this.
Be aware though that it is extremely unlikely the base line power usage will be zero (we have a base line of 120 watts); most homes have at least some power running somewhere eg central heating, fridges, alarm systems etc. Also it could be rather easy to get obsessed with switching off everything – we did to begin with! Just remember we all have to use some power in life; so a sense of proportion will help to keep the peace in the household! By the way it is unlikely the unit is sensitive enough to pick up low power units like individual light bulbs etc.
However, if the unit succeeds in reducing power bills then it could be said to have saved costs – and to a small extent – the planet!
We like!
Christopher Johns, contributing author
The Pink OWL Micro costs just £25.99, available to buy in all good high street retailers and at www.theowl.com
* For further information about Breakthrough or breast cancer visit www.breakthrough.org.uk or call the charity’s free telephone number on 08080 100 200
** Source: moneysavingexpert
WE HAVE THREE Pink OWL Micros TO GIVEAWAY!
Just send an email to the editorinbalance@me.com with Pink OWL Micro in the subject box and your full contact details in the text area. Last day for entering the draw is 15 May 2011. One entry per household.
To keep up to date with future giveaways click on the Subscribe button on the right.
How to lose weight without dieting!
Dieting has never been our strong point and we were so touched by this rhyme sent in by a reader that we immediately sent her a copy of the new book Colour me slimmer that we find so inspiring.
I made this rhyme up in a fit of alcoholically fuelled despair walking behind two girls with lovely figures. It tells you as much about myself as I want you to know and more about how my mother dealt with my deep despair. Lucy Reckett
Fatty watty watty
That’s what they say
Fatty watty watty
It really makes my day
Fatty watty fatty
That’s what they say
Not matter what the day
I’m fatty watty watty
So I’m so fat
That is that
No matter what I say
It only means I weigh
More than you
More than you
Oh it’s true
I’m fatter than you
Fatty watty watty
What do I care
There, there, there,
My mum says fatty watty watty doesn’t
matty matty moo!
Colour Me Slimmer is about clever dressing for a fabulous figure, whether you are size 12 or 22. Here’s a book that banishes baggy tea shirts, rejects dangerous crash diets. This essential style guide demonstrates that by simply wearing the correct clothing for your body shape, you can shed pounds in seconds.
Colour Me Slimmer is published by Hamlyn, rrp £12.99
It’s available at all good booksellers and on Amazon Colour Me Slimmer: Clever Dressing for a Fabulous Figure (Colour Me Beautiful)
WE HAVE 8 COPIES TO GIVE AWAY TO IN BALANCE READERSThe Sun is Shining in the Sky …
Drumstick primula, sown May 2010
The sun is shining in the sky and it’s seed time! The most exciting time in my gardening year. The anticipation, the joy, the expectation. But then there is the labelling … I have so often sown the seed and not bothered to write a label thinking I won’t forget that particular tray.
Wrong! I have often forgotten and some seeds haven’t received the attention they need, especially those that take more than a month to germinate.
That’s all in the past. This year I have a labelling machine. A Brother P-touch GL200 and a wondrous machine it is too!
A dream machine it is a computerised, battery run labeller. Lightweight and so portable I can do the labelling in the garden if I want. In fact though, I generally print out the labels before I go into the garden, much easier to prepare the labels before I get my fingers muddy.
I can’t say enough good things about it, and so far, touch wood, I can’t think of anything negative. The labels are rainproof, humidity proof, fade proof, heat and frost resistant, can be on coloured tape. I can choose the typeface which can be small, medium or large, on a long or short strip. It has a built in date and time clock. You get to see the text before you print on a small screen, and it can be neatly cut. All I do is make sure I have enough plant sticks to add the label to! Easy. If you’re interested in the specification go to www.brother.co.uk/gl200
Actually I can think of a negative, the price of the replacement tape is a bit steep. But honestly the machine is so useful I can tolerate that, just.
Seed collected 2011
One of the uses I have put it to is to add an appropriate label inside the numerous plastic bags of seed I have collected last year. That way I know what those funny looking seeds really are this year and the label is ready to go. What joy!
My husband uses it for labelling his filing folders and I have used it for all kinds of jobs around the house and elsewhere – even the little plaque on a fence post giving the website address for our front garden!
Label weathering well
It is one of those gadgets I really wouldn’t be without.
RRP £27.55, available on Amazon Brother P-Touch Label Printer
Kate Campbell, Gardening editor
We have a Brother P-touch GL200 to GIVEAWAY to an In Balance reader. To enter the draw send an email to editorinbalance@me.com with Brother P-touch GL200 in the subject box and your full contact details in the text box. Entries to reach by latest 25 April 2011. One entry per household.
I Did It! So Can you! Give Up Smoking!
I was a 20-30 a day cigarette smoker from the age of 16. I shudder to think the condition of my lungs at 46 years old, 30 years later.
Smoking was enjoyable, mostly. A crutch to bridge the periods of boredom, the uncomfortable pauses in social events, to cover nervousness and to take away appetite, the relaxing effect after a meal. I used it and abused my body. Not that I ever thought much about that aspect.
Two things happened that brought it home to me just how unsociable smoking was to those who didn’t. One couple who socialised in their kitchen/diner would always put the extractor fan on when I lit up. I didn’t really notice because we were in the kitchen weren’t we, until someone else pointed it out and that made me so selfconscious I didn’t smoke in their house from then on.
On another occasion, on the way home from babysitting I realised I had left my handbag behind. I ran back to fetch it, and found my friends had opened all the windows and doors and were spraying odour killer around. I was horrified and somewhat ashamed that they felt so strongly about the smell of smoke.
So I could go for short periods without smoking when necessary which to me was almost as good as giving up.
However gradually my friends stopped smoking, and I was virtually the only in our group who puffed away. I began to feel selfconscious and the disapproval was palpable so I started to go outside to smoke.
All this happened years before the current smoking regulations came into force but I was determined to stop. And as Mark Twain said, it was easy, I did it lots of times!
I tried herbal cigarettes, herbal tablets, hypnosis but in the end it was sheer willpower, self disgust and exasperation that finally tipped me into the smoke free habit, together with using chewing gum loaded with nicotine. I gradually managed to reduce and have now been totally smoke free for more than 15 years.
In truth I would have much preferred to use a more natural product and when I heard of the new Rescue Chewing Gum I really wanted to tell everyone about, but especially anyone who is really desperate/keen to junk those cancer sticks.
Chewing gum really did help me, I felt calmer. Recent research has shown that chewing gum helps to relieve nervousness, improve alertness and reduce stress. Research also shows that chewing gum for an hour in the morning seems to reduce the appetite to some extent. But the reason why I am so interested in the Rescue Chewing Gum is the natural ingredients used, each piece of chewing gum has a liquid Rescue centre – the famous combination of five flower essences discovered by Dr Bach almost 80 years ago.
Suitable for vegetarians a month’s supply comes in a handy portable box ideal for taking Rescue on-the-go. Rescue Gum costs £3.95 and is available from Boots, Holland & Barrett, Lloyds Chemist, independent pharmacies and health food stores as well as grocery stores nationwide. For more information visit www.rescueremedy.co.uk
Why not buy some on your way home tonight and take the decision to stop smoking – It’s No Smoking Day tomorrow, let Rescue get you going!
Tips to help:
Keep an eye on your progress – keep a chart, by day
Keep your hands busy – get going on those word puzzles, sodoku, whatever that are in every paper these days
Give yourself targets of really positive treats – a weekend break, an active goal – climb that mountain! Yes, you’ll feel more energetic as all those toxins slowly leave your body
Acknowledging a dependence on nicotine and tobacco is a crucial first step and can be the all-important catalyst that smokers need to seek professional medical help and succeed in become smokefree.
There are Stop Smoking Services provided for free by the NHS. This support has been shown to increase a smoker’s chances of stopping by up to four times, compared with going it alone.
Why not join the million smokers who will use tomorrow to try to quit. It could just work.
Or perhaps you know someone who is desperate to give up smoking and might benefit from some help? You could make it your Good Samaritan deed for today! and tomorrow …. why not for the next twelve days! If you help just one person to quit smoking wouldn’t that be worth the effort?
Good luck!
Kate Campbell, Contributing journalist
GIVEAWAYS
Our contribution is to GIVEAWAY a month’s supply of Nelsons Rescue Gum to TEN In Balance readers.
To enter the draw send an email to editorinbalance@me.com with NELSONS RESCUE GUM in the subject box and your contact details in the text area. Make sure your entry reaches us by 18 March 2011. One entry per household. The draw is restricted to readers resident in the UK.
Royal Wedding Day Survival Kit
Nelsons are giving away a Royal Wedding Day Survival Kit including this beautiful clutch bag worth £40 to an In Balance reader.
Kate will have a team on hand to help her wedding day run smoothly but Nelsons are giving away a wedding day survival kit cleverly disguised inside this beautiful clutch to ensure any bride can be a Princess for the day.
38% of people find that weddings are the most stressful celebrations, so have a few of these Nelsons essentials tucked away in your clutch to help the big day go smoothly.
The Wedding Day Survival Kit includes:
- Rescue Balm Is an intensive moisturising lip balm with natural flower essences that keeps lips luscious and smooth ideal for wedding day beauty! And perfect if you want an effortless come-hither pout for your new husband whilst underneath you’re feeling nervous about the big day. The size and ease of use makes Rescue Balm perfect for any handbag.
- Arnicare Arnica Cooling Gel
contains natural Arnica which can be massaged into aching legs and feet after running around planning the wedding. It can also help relieve tired legs after a night spinning round the dance floor, but if your husband is a less than graceful dancer, it can’t stop him treading on your feet, so watch out! - Nelsons Pure&Clear Blemish Gel
should be kept on hand to target blemishes immediately as they appear. It contains extra strength Tea Tree which targets and calms the problem area and as it’s a clear gel it can be applied under your make-up and be applied as often as you like, so nothing but cheesy grins will appear in the wedding photos. - Clutch bag
which is the perfect accessory for any Princess bride
10 Runner-ups will receive the handbag essential Rescue Balm
All products featured above are available from Boots, Boots.com and www.nelsonshomeopathy.com
Rescue Balm costs: £5.88 Arnicare Cooling Gel costs: £4.85 Pure & Clear Blemish Gel costs: £8.00
Nelsons was founded in London in 1860 by a young pharmacist who had studied homeopathy with Hahnemann. Nelsons homeopathic medicines are renowned as being safe, non-toxic and non-addictive and prepared in laboratories licensed by the Department of Health to stringent quality standards.
We have no hesitation in recommending their products – we have used them for many years.
GIVEAWAY
To enter the draw for the Royal Wedding Day Survival Kit in a Clutch Bag worth £40, send an email to editorinbalance@me.com with Royal Wedding in the Subject Box and your full contact details in the Text area.
Entries must be received by latest 29 April 2011.
One entry per household.
The draw is open to residents in the UK.
Vitality Show – The Winners!
This year’s Vitality Show 24-27 March promises to be even more interesting than ever and four In Balance readers will be using the double tickets they won in the Giveaway Draw.
Afraid of Cancer?
anti cancer – a new way of life
At the time of this updated edition of his book Dr David Servan-Schreiber has lived cancer free for ten years. In this book he tells what he has learned, both scientifically and personally.
Dr Servan-Schreiber was diagnosed with cancer of the brain when he was working as a medical resident in Pittsburgh.
Anticancer turns fear on its head – it is simply all the best, most thorough and quite amazing research on how you can build your body’s natural defences, whether you have cancer or not.
It is a myth that cancer is primarily linked to our genetic make-up – our lifestyle is the major determining factor and there is so much we can do to help boost our body’s natural capacity for protection.
We can:
Guard ourselves from the imbalances of our environment – adjust our diet, cutting back on cancer promotoers and including the greatest number of foods that help prevent, and actively fight, tumours
Create a relationship with our bodies that stimulates the immune system – understand and heal the psychological wounds that feed cancer
This truly groundbreaking, positive book has swept the world by storm, taking its place at the top of the bestseller charts.
Dr Servan-Schreiber makes the most compelling and inspiring case for playing a part in your own health.
I found this a most compelling read. It has the ring of authenticity and written in non-medical terms
When we heard a dear friend had been diagnosed with multiple melanoma we were devastated and felt helpless. Finding this book has made a huge difference to our understanding of cancer from the point of view of the sufferer and gave us more confidence to keep in touch with him. I have given my copy to him and I’m confident it is the most positive gift I can give. I’m sending a copy to another friend who is in remission and again I’m sure she will find it of huge interest and a source of hope and inspiration.
I would urge anyone touched by cancer to buy this book and pass it on, or better still send a copy as a gift to those about whose health they are concerned.
Anticancer is published by Penguin in both hard and soft back, www.penguin.com ISBN978-0-718-15684-8
It is also available on Amazon Anticancer: A New Way of Life
GIVEAWAYS
Penguin has provided In Balance with FIVE copies of Dr Servan-Schreiber’s book, anti cancer to giveaway to In Balance readers. To enter the draw send an email to editorinbalance@me.com with Anti Cancer in the subject box and your full contact details in the text box to reach us by 30 March 2011. One entry per household.
Val Reynolds Brown Editor
Victorian Rosebud Lobelia for that Wow Factor!
Our front garden has a most ad hoc group of plants with no semblance of tidiness or order. Although in my defence I have to say there is an element of careful selection! Up to now bedding plants haven’t played a part in the scheme of things.
However, just what do you think this plant is? Double click to see larger image.
It is Lobelia erinus ‘Kathleen Mallard’, an old fashioned double rosebud flower grown by the Victorians, ideal for hanging baskets, patio containers, window boxes and front bedding as it has a close knit habit and forms a perfect ball. Its height and spread is 15cm/6 inches. I fell in love with it instantly, picturing it sitting on the outside edge of the front garden.
We reckon this plant will be very popular, it is so beautiful. Should add quite a wow factor! We’re impressed, so much so we are ordering ten plants for bedding and another ten for our hanging baskets and bedding in the back garden from Thompson & Morgan who are offering them at a really good price.
Suitable for sun or semi shade 5 jumbo plugs cost of £3.49, or 10 jumbo plugs £5.99 and will be despatched by end of April 2011.
To order some now go to the Thompson & Morgan website where you will find all the growing and other information you may need. It’s not a difficult plant to grow.
GIVEAWAYS
Lobelia erinus ‘Kathleen Mallard’
We have FIVE Thompson & Morgan sets of 10 jumbo plugs to give away to In Balance readers. To enter the draw send an email with Kathleen Mallard in the subject box to: editorinbalance@me.com with all your contact details by latest 31 March 2011. One entry per household.
You might also find our other website of interest www.ourfrontgarden.com
Giveaway Winners – Bain Mousse
When we came across the Melvita Bain Mousse we really liked so much that we wanted to tell you about it, which we did in December. Foam baths give a luxury feel to a hot soak, in fact the bubbles keep in the heat and you experience a turkish bath effect, well nearly! We loved the aroma and the silky effect on our skin.
The Melvita range of products have a good feel about them, especially as they are all natural products with an underlying commitment to non-synthetic, organic ingredients and are not tested on animals.
Melvita is available at various outlets and on line. If you are in the Covent Garden area at all, do visit their shop in Slingsby Street, it’s like an Aladdin’s Cave!
We had two bottles of the Bain Mousse to give away and the winners are: B Shaw of Blackpool and H Forster of Surrey. Congratulations!
We have no doubt we’ll have other Melvita products to give away so keep an eye out for our regular newsletter, or subscribe – see below – and you won’t miss out!
GIVEAWAY – Tickets to the Vitality Show
The Vitality Show 2011 offers a perfect line-up for a healthier, happier, fitter and more gorgeous you!
The ultimate girls’ day out is back and better than ever! Tickets for the Vitality Show 2011, the UK’s largest health, beauty, fitness and wellbeing event for women, are on sale now.
Skincare
The show offers four fun-packed days of pampering, shopping, healthy eating, dancing, socialising and essential know-how gathering, from 24-27 March at Earl’s Court London.
Celebrity guests – from top TV chefs to dance professionals, athletes and some of life’s most inspirational people – will join the hottest health and beauty experts and over 300 absolute must-have fitness, food and lifestyle brands.
Highlights of this year’s show include:
Yoga studio
New! Dance Theatre Strictly amazing! The new Dance Theatre will thrill and entertain – showcasing some of the UK’s hottest dance talent from street dance to salsa, ballet to ballroom, bangra to breakdancing.
Fitness Park
One Life Theatre and Vitality Workshops If you’re looking for a new direction, want a career change or simply need to get some balance in your life, the One Life Theatre is for you. With inspirational talks, tips and Vitality Workshops offering 1-2-1 time with top life-coaches and careers experts, you’re sure to leave confident and positive about the future.
New! Make a Difference Makeovers – The Travel Pavilion Discover a world of inspirational adventures, relaxing retreats and feel good opportunities that help make a difference to far-flung communities around the globe. Speak to the experts who can make any travel dream a reality.
New! Food Lovers Fair FoodLoversBritain.com brings the finest food market straight to you. Feast your eyes on the freshest, tastiest morsels then sample the delights of seasonal, regional produce including all the essentials for the modern chef’s health-conscious kitchen!
New! The Wardrobe We’ve created a wardrobe just for you with everything from fabulous accessories to must-have shoes, the latest bags and vintage bargains so you can shop until you drop.
To celebrate the launch of the Vitality Show we have FOUR pairs of tickets to giveaway to In Balance readers! Simply send an email to editorinbalance@me.com with your contact details, to reach us latest 28 February 2011. Only one application per household.
For more information, or to book your place at the hottest health, beauty, fitness and well-being event of the year visit www.vitalitylive.co.uk now!
In Balance 