Trip to Ayr

Last week we drove up to Ayr, in Scotland. We went along with another family. We started off around 11 from our house in Coventry and then went to Derby to pick up our friends. The whole journey took us about 7 hours from Derby to reach Travelodge Ayr - our accommodation at Ayr.

We didn't exactly go there for a holiday - we were there to get our son's eyes examined by Ian Jordan who has an optical practice. However, still get the chance to go down to the beautiful beach and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Wish we had more time to roam around this ancient town.









Would love to come back here again someday.

Choi Time tea review 1

First of all I would like to clarify that I am not an expert on teas. However, I love teas. If you come to my house you can rest assured that I will have a tea you like - from the ordinary English breakfast teas to herbal teas. Just take a look at range I have:

So you can imagine how delighted I was when Choi Time, a company specialising in quality Chinese green, rose bud and chrysanthemum flower teas, sent me a couple of samples to try out.

They have an amazing selection and the first tea I tried out was the one called Exotic mixed flowers. This is how it looked before...



...and after I poured the hot water in. It was amazing watching the ball unfurl to reveal needle tea leaves with several other flowers carefully woven.






This tea apparently has several health benefits as well. For example, chrysanthemum is said to have cooling properties and detoxifies the blood, helps with sinus decongestion, lowers high blood pressure and also calm the nerves. On the other hand, Marigold aids in improving digestion. The tea has a strong aroma and a slight hint of bitterness which is replaced by a sweet after taste. I refilled the pot with hot water twice and my wife preferred it the second time around - with a light taste.

A few days later, I tried out the Jasmine Pearls. This tea has won 3 gold stars at the Great taste awards in 2007 and 2008.



Made from lu-cha tea leaves and scented with Jasmine blossoms, the handrolled balls slowly unfurled as I poured in the hot water.



Jasmine teas are the most popular type of Chinese teas and I can see why the Sunday Times Style Magazine called this tea the Dom Perignon of the tea world. Has a nice aroma and light taste with a really  nice slightly sweet after-taste. They are also said to have several health benefits as well.

Though I liked both, I would have to say I definitely liked the latter slightly more. The former is really dramatic and can be a nice conversation starter when you have guests at home. I am definitely going to order packs of both teas.

UPDATE:
Choi Time is offering an extra 10% discount to all my readers. All you have to do is use the code twithadamok. Enjoy.

Godiva Festival 2011

Last Saturday I went along with my daughter to the Memorial Park in Coventry for the Godiva Festival. Even though I have been here in Coventry for quite sometime, this was the first time I went to the Festival. There was no direct bus to the festival and there were some angry people and raised voices at the Pool Meadow bus station. I got into the #12 bus which took us to Earlsdon and we got down near the library there. We walked to the park from there.

My daughter really enjoyed the Kid's art and crafts tent where we spent quite sometime making "stuff".

We then went around the various stalls and exhibits - learnt a few new and interesting things in the process.

Next was the Funfair - didn't go on any of the rides but my daughter won a bunny rabbit stuffed toy which is now her favourite toy at the moment. What is it with girls and soft toys?

We then moved to the main festival area - bought some over priced ice-cream. Got some freebies for filling up a survey at the NHS stand and then sat down to listen to some music. No idea who was playing but they were OK but my daughter was more interested in visiting the 'Bang Goes the Theory' tent. I found some of the exhibits quite fascinating.

We then finally left the park at around 5 pm and walked back to Earlsdon where my wife picked us up.
It was nice to finally spend some quality time alone with my daughter.

Promotional items online

Today as I was jotting down some notes, I noticed that the pen I was writing with was a souvenir that I had received at a conference sometime back. It made me realise how important promotional items are. Among the best ways to promote your company or brand is by giving away promotional items printed clearly with the company names and logos. Given away as door gifts, part of the conference pack or gifts to clients, the most common items include t-shirts, pens, mugs, mousepads and stationery.

There are several online stores where you can order promotional items for your company and the World's biggest online seller of promotional products is said to be Branders.com. Another popular company is Vistaprint.co.uk.

These sites carry all types of gifts ranging from the usual items like pens and mugs to promotional apparel and even personalized food gifts.

Motorway rest area cons - beware

This weekend, we were on our way back from London on the M1 and stopped at the Toddington rest area to take a break. As soon as I got out of the car a guy approached me - white, about 5 feet 6 with short cropped hair, wearing jeans and a white t-shirt and sneakers.

He said that his car was out of petrol and that his kids were with him in the car ( he pointed somewhere far away and there were a lot of cars). He wanted to borrow £5 just to get back home. I instinctively reached for my wallet without thinking but I took a look at him and didn't really the look in his eyes. I told him that I didn't have any change. But he was persistent an asked me if I could take out money from the ATM. This made me even more suspicious and I refused and walked away. I was feeling a bit guilty and thinking to myself "what if he was telling the truth?" when I noticed he was then talking to another car driver but this time he was pointing in the opposite direction. It was then I realised that he was a con artist and I am glad that I trusted my instincts.

Not sure whether the guy is still trying to con people at the rest areas but be careful.

Early signs of autism

While talking to other parents, we have come to realise that all our kids had certain similar signs and symptoms when they were small. Here I list down the 10 main ones to look out for. If your child displays some of these symptoms, I seriously suggest that you should go and see a developmental paediatrician to have your child examined.

1. Delayed speech.
2. Poor eye contact.
3. Spinning objects.
4. Hand flapping.
5. Rocking back and forth.
6. Limited diet, consisting mostly of gluten (e.g., bread, cookies, etc.).
7. Sensitivity to light and loud sounds.
8. Walking on tip toes.
9. Lining up objects.
10. Poor sleep.

Spraying on the plaster

I am really into DIY right now and am picking up the skills by trial and error. I find the DIY programmes on TV really, especially where they buy a dump and turn it into their dream home. Another reason I like to watch these programme is because I would like up to do up my own home one day. For now my DIY work is limited to painting walls and putting up shelves. Anyway, one skill I would liek to learn is plastering the walls.

I recently saw a programme where the plaster was sprayed on instead of the normal hand troweling. It looked much more convenient and is obviously faster. Anyway,if you are looking for plastering tools, check out Mortarsprayer.com. The company which is based in Eugene, Oregon manufactures 3 different plastering tools which should cover all your different plastering needs.

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