Time to plan ahead for Christmas with these helpful tips

I've written two articles with tips for adding some easy home made, (homemade if you're in the USA), items to your Christmas 2012. I'm not suggesting you go to extremes, but a few hours spent making some home made sweets or candies, or making a lists of how you can organise easy home made decorations, will pay off, as you'll get a warm glow of satisfaction at a job well done, as well as praise from you guests. I've hosted our family Christmas for over 30 years- I've built up lots of tips.Click through here to find a collection of tried and tested tips for easy gifts to make this Christmas I've written another page here, that gives you some easy and inexpensive ideas about decorating your home and Christmas dinner table. Start planning now!53 days to go!

Turn your photos into gifts

These days, lost of us have lots of photos. We take them all the time, using our phones or easy digital cameras. I've got an idea - why not use these photos to make some unique home made Christmas presents. I've got some good ideas - even if I say so myself! Click through this link to find ways to turn your homemade photos into presents this year Here's one of my latest photos. I think it would look great as part of a series on the Lake District on a digital photo frame. I could give this to someone who love the Lakes, but doesn't live here- like my relatives in the USA.

Reflections in Grasmere Lake, taken just a few days ago.

Will someone please buy me a Diptyque candle?

Top of my wish list for Christmas would be Diptyque candles, but I know no one will ever give me a Diptyque candle as they don't really, truly believe that they're worth the price. Here's why I think Diptyque candles are worth it! Is there someone in your life who would be thrilled to receive something from Diptyque this Christmas? Readers in the UK can buy their wonderful Diptyque gifts here.

The humble celeriac takes the Number 1 slot

My Squidoo lens How to use celeriac has risen to the top of my lens list this morning, overtaking the long time #1 How to make homemade chocolate truffles. There's a food theme here of course- I love good food.

That may be why lenses #3 and # 4 are on the topic of The Dukan Diet!

Back to celeriac. Someone left a message that they'd read the page but couldn't be bothered to try celeriac as it looked too weird. Sad. Celeriac is tasty and healthy. Celeriac is easy to cook. There are lots of great recipes for celeriac. Top chefs love celeriac. If you don't use celeriac then try it. If you do use celeriac, you might pick up some new ideas. I'm thrilled it's my # 1 lens!

 Readers in the UK can buy this book by top veggie lover Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall for more great veggie recipes.

1 September- time to get back to the blog

I've neglected my blog "What's she going on about now?" She's not been going on about anything. At least, not on the blog. Now, there's a nip in the air, and it's the start of my favourite month. Last Monday was Bank Holiday in the UK, but it rained so hard that lots of events were cancelled, and I couldn't get out for my usual afternoon walk- so I made a new lens for Squidoo . It's called The Best Christmas Stockings to make and Buy I didn't know that you could buy these great kits. I don't really have the time ( or the inclination if I'm honest) to make one, but if you're good with a needle and thread, you might like to try this.

It's hard to feel summery in the UK

We're having a wet , cool summer in the UK, and it's hard to feel in the summer mood right now.
Over in the USA, my online friends and experiencing temperatures that are too high for comfort. Guests from the USA tell me how lovely it is to be staying in England- "it's too hot at home"!

Anyway whatever the weather, visitors to the beautiful English Lake District can enjoy the scenery. Our guests have all been brilliant, telling me that they love the White Moss walks which you can start at the front door of White Moss House. "All you need is proper waterproofs"

If you're buying waterproofs for hiking, don't go for the cheapest- they really don't work. I love Berghaus, and in fact all my waterproof gear is Berghaus. If you're visiting the home of William Wordsworth, Grasmere Village you can buy your hiking clothes from a wide choice of shops, stocking all makes at a range of prices. Alternatively you can order ahead from amazon.
Here's my choice of the best Berghaus jacket right now for women.

London 2012 Olympics

Here's my own London 2012 Olympic souvenir.The Olympic torch on the top of an open air bus going past our house, White Moss House, (award winning Grasmere bed and breakfast!)

For more conventional London 2012 Olympic Souvenirs you might like The Best London 2012 Olympic Souvenirs. I've picked my favourites.

It's less than four weeks now to the Olympic Games. Are we all getting excited? We've left our flags up from the Jubilee and hope to have lots of celebrate!

Anyone for weeding?

I took up the challenge from Squidoo to write a "weird" lens.
I've written about how I love to weed! I hate housework, but put me in the garden with a hoe and I'm happy as Larry ( whatever that means).

See what you think.by taking a look at "I love weeding. Is that weird?"

Here in the English Lake District we're waiting for the Olympic Torch to come through today. It's going right past us at White Moss House, though for our bit the Olympic Torch will be on a bus, not on foot. I'm told the whole procession is huge and noisy, so I'll be outside with my camera.

With the London 2012 Olympics getting closer, I've picked The best Olympic Souvenirs.. No tat- just a few classy things that I'd like to keep. Here's my favourite

London 2012 Olympics.

On Thursday, 21 June, the Olympic Torch comes through the Lake District. It stops in Grasmere, then comes right past our house- not on foot, but on the top of an open bus. Stand by for photos!

I've you're thinking of buying London 2012 Olympic Souvenirs I've got some great ideas about the classiest Olympic 2012 souvenirs.

I'll be telling you more about my top Olympic souvenirs in th e weeks to come, but I think my top choice is the 2012 London Bus.

UK readers can buy the London 2012 bus here from amazon.co.uk

Now the Jubilee is over it's time for tennis

The French Open at Roland Garros is reaching its climax.
Next week it's the Queens Tennis on grass in west London. The Wimbledon will be next.

This is really exciting for tennis fans.
I've got a great page on Squidoo with photos I've taken, plus tips on how to look like a top tennis player. You do know that if you have the right clothing you'll play better, don't you?

Here's a great picture of one of my favourite Jo Wilfred Tsonga, who is about to take on Novak Djokvic right now in Paris.

Tsonga at Queens June 2011

Borage, lovage and sorrel

Herbs are a hot topic right now, as it's time to plant out your gardens for summer, and now is the best time to plant or sow herbs from scratch.
For those of you not near a good supplier of herbs, you can do mail order. In the USA amazon has a great selection of herbs and plants which you can by clicking through this link for herb plants and seeds I never thought about buying herbs and plants from amazon, though I would always look there for DVDs, Music, books etc. UK readers can also buy herb plants and seeds from Amazon.co.uk through this link.

On Squidoo lots of visitors are enjoying my herb lenses. Lovage and Sorrel are very popular, probably because they are slightly unusual herbs. If you don't grow herbs, then you should think about starting, however little space you have.
To get you started, read 10 Reasons to Grow Herbs, my newest herb lens which won a Purple Star.
I'll be writing more on my garden blog soon. It's been neglected lately. The only blog I've been writing full time is my White Moss House, Grasmere Bed and Breakfast blog. Take a look for all the news about the Jubilee, and what's going on at your favourite Lake District bed and breakfast.

Writing about herbs again.

Given a challenge to write and new lens for Squidoo that would possibly get a purple star and would have a time on the home page, I went for 10 Reasons to grow herbs.

I'm really happy with this webpage. It looks good, and has lots of great ideas and suggestions.

Herbs in a pot at White Moss House Grasmere

One reason is that they look so good. Here's a pot of mine from 2011 of purple leaved basil, dill, busy lizzies and lobelia.  Lots more ideas on 10 reasons to grow herbs

10 reasons to grow herbs.

You really should try growing herbs if you don't already. I've written what I think is a compelling list of 10 reasons why growing herbs is good.It's called 10 Reasons to grow herbs! not surprisingly!

 I wrote this for a special challenge on the Squidoo site. It's won one of Squidoo's top awards, the The Squidoo Purple Star Award - read all about it!

My herb garden is coming on well this spring. Last night we had lovely fresh haddock for supper, and I picked sorrel, fennel and chives, and snipped the herbs over the fish as it was slowly baking in the over ( with a little olive oil and white wine)With fresh herbs it's so easy to make food that little bit more special.

 My favourite book about cooking with herbs is a collaboration between the Queen of herbs, Jekka McVicar, and the Good Old Jamie Oliver, everyone's mate and all round good bloke. UK readers can buy this great book here.

Still going on about Paisley- and on, and on...

Here's the train of thought.
Taking a photo of the antique toilet in our guest house ( owned by William Wordsworth) , I remembered that the wallpaper was a William Morris design.
William Morris embraced the Paisley design in his Orientalism  in the late 19th century. That's when Paisley became a little more Bohemian, and probably is the link to the 1960s hippy love for Paisley.
Find out how to wear Paisley in 2012 ( men too!) here.

Here's the photo that inspired this blog today.

The antique Toilet at White Moss House, Grasmere

Why was I taking a photo of our Twyford's Original Sultan? That's another story.......

Men! How about this great Paisley retro shirt? Really, it's the designer trend for 2012- honest!

Paisley is becoming an obsession.

Having already written about the new Paisley for 2012, I've now written another page all about the best Paisley accessories to buy right now.

I've actually got several Paisley items already in my wardrobe and around the house in the form of cushions. Seems like I'm right on trend without doing a thing- if only!

I didn't know that you could actually buy a Paisley 60s mini dress! Takes me back! I think it's supposed to be fancy dress, but I love it.
Here's one for you to think about- maybe buy?!

I've always loved the Paisley pattern- and now it's in fashion again

I love the curled shapes of the Paisley Pattern. See it here on a poster from allposters of a design from 1871.

Fabric Design for... George Charles... Buy This at Allposters.com

Originally from the East, brought into Europe by the traders of the East India Company in the 17th Century, the paisley pattern got its name when the weavers of Paisley in Scotland started to produce material for shawls on their looms in large quantities in the 19th century. This design for a Paisley was made by George Charles Haite in around 1871.

Paisley is now back in fashion for 2012, with Stella McCartney leading the way. Find out How to wear the new Paisley in 2012 here. Paisley has been seen on A-List Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Hudson in the last few weeks. You can see photos of how they look in the new Paisley here.

Buying one item in Paisley can update your tired old wardrobe to the height of fashion for 2012!

I'm a fashion writer now!

It started when I wrote about Kate Middleton's skinny pink jeans, and then went on to patterned jeans worn by celebrities.

I then started to think know what? I'll write about dresses. So here it is The classic shift dress, a top 2012 fashion trend. I've been wearing trousers so much for so long that when I look in my wardrobe I see only 1 dress that I'd consider wearing. There's a huge choice of shift dresses this year. If you live in the USA you can buy a whole range from amazon, and here in the UK, amazon.co.uk is extending it's clothing range too.

Here's one I really love The new ladylike look. This is perfect for summer 2012.

More skinny jeans!

I enjoyed writing my Skinny pink jeans page for Squidoo so much that I've written another skinny jeans lens. This one is Patterned Jeans- the celebrity fashion trend.

Patterned jeans sound pretty scary, but you know what- they look great! Well, they look great on celebrities such as Jessica Alba and Gewn Stefani. Whilst researching for my Pink skinny jeans worn by Kate Middleton page I came across photos of celebrities in patterned jeans that inspired my to write Patterned jeans worn by celebrities. If you click through the highlighted link above you'll see the photos and see how great you could look in patterned jeans!

UK readers- did you know that amazon.co.uk have a huge range of jeans and great clothing? Click through this picture for more information

Skinny pink jeans like Kate Middleton wears!

When I saw the pictures of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, playing hockey at the Olympic Park I loved the skinny pink jeans she was wearing, so I decided to write a Squidoo lens about Skinny pink jeans.
I'm impressed by the huge range of pink skinny jeans on offer over at amazon.com for readers in the USA and Canada.
I've picked my favourites, and the perfect jacket to go with the skinny pink jeans too. I wish I was younger and slimmer- I'd certainly have a pair of skinny pink jeans in my wardrobe. I'm actually going to try a pair on when I next go shopping to see if I could possibly get away with buying a pair for myself- it's a 2012 fashion trend I love!

I didn't realise that amazon.co.uk has great clothes and jeans . Here's their best selling skinny  jeans offer- available in pink of course!

Easter in the Lake District

Not long now until Easter. I've written a guide to Easter in the Lake District, which lists some of the many things to do and see in the Lake District this Easter.
Anyone who reads this and has events they would like me to add, please leave a message on the web page.
Thank you.
Still thinking about Easter , thoughts are turning to food, and what to eat for the Easter meal. I'm recommending my Traditional sherry trifle recipe. It's a winner. Make it in advance- no fuss on the day.
To make it really special you might like to splash out on a new trifle bowl.
Here's the one I'd really love. It's very expensive! - but it's an Emma Bridgewater design. Gorgeous!

Not long until Easter- Easter biscuits recipe

Easter biscuits have been made in Europe for centuries.
In the days before we were swamped with chocolate every Easter, sweet biscuits and cookies were an Easter treat at the end of Lent.
My Traditional Easter biscuits recipe comes from England. This biscuit is a thin shortcrust, with currants and dried fruit in the mixture, sprinkled with sugar. You can add a little spice if you like.
These traditional Easter biscuits make pretty gift too. Wrap them in cellophane, tie them with ribbon, and give them as a very welcome Easter gift.

This cellophane bag with a firm base is the luxury way to present your Easter Biscuits as a gift.

Get ready for summer with outdoor toys for children

It's spring! Time to think of getting outdoors, and if you have children, time to plan the outdoor play area before the school holidays.

I remember as a child how I loved playing with Buckets and Spades, or Buckets and shovels as they say in the USA..
I also loved the simple pleasures of my garden swing.. If you have children or grandchildren, why now think about giving a swing set as a present? They'll love it.

I've always wanted one of those "porch swings"

You know those American films where people sit on a porch that goes round the house, on a wooden swing seat? I've always wanted one of those.
However, we don't have a big porch or veranda at our house!

I also used to love it when I was young when my mother took me round to an old lady's house which had a flowery outside swing seat with a canopy. I'd like one of those too, but the Lake District is too wet to make it really sensible to leave one of these out in the garden. You'd have to cover it every night.

I've just seen this type of thing though on amazon.co.uk. It looks like it will fold up easily at night. This could be just the thing! UK readers can buy it here SWINGING GARDEN HAMMOCK SEAT SWING CHAIR

For children, nothing can beat a swing as a toy. Outdoors, healthy fun. There are swings for all ages of children. I've picked my favourites. What do you think?

Not long now until Easter.

Do you fancy a little messing about in the kitchen? I love Easter biscuits- sweet, hint of spice, dried fruit, sugar on top.
We're now in Lent, which means Easter is 40 days away. Here are my favourite Easter Biscuit recipes.
How to make traditional Easter biscuits.

I know that in the USA, biscuits are a savoury item- rather like a cobbler or a dumpling. so I've added the word "cookies" for my transatlantic friends.

Photo thanks to flickr. The detailed credit is here.

William Wordsworth's Daffodils

Remind yourself of the poem you may have learnt in school- "I wandered lonely as a cloud..."Find out more about William Wordsworth's poem "Daffodils" right here.
I live in a house owned by Wordsworth, White Moss House, and share my local knowledge with you.

White Moss House is a great place to stay  if you are visiting the Lake District.

Pop by and see us!

Home made chocolate truffles are winners!

Want to know how to make delicious, easy homemade chocolate truffles? Take a look here to find out.
This page is published on the wonderful writers' platform, Squidoo, and it has just been awarded a special Purple Star Award for being a really great "lens" ( this is what the Squidoo people call their webpages).

If you like making your own stuff, these chocolate truffles would be very welcome Easter gifts. Flavour them with something you know your lucky person likes- maybe peppermint or orange, or rum or brandy. I've got lots of ideas for you to try.

Something else new- Zujava

I've just signed up! It's the brainchild Glen , who I "know" from Squidoo. Goold luck Glen! Can I handle another portal for writing- we'll see. Going to give it my best shot!

Getting started with Pinterest

Do you use Pinterest? I've seen it around but put off trying it, but I've made a start. Here's my Pinterest page There's not a lot there at the moment, but it looks like it could be fun.I'll be pinning Wizzley and Squidoo pics, and lots more from around the web.

Hiking, walking,backpacking

Write about what you know that's what they all say.
OK then, I'll write more about hiking, walking, backpacking. Call it what you like!
I'm going to use Wizzley for a series of backpacking recommendations.
If you don't know yet what Wizzley is, follow the link and take a look! It's an easy to use writing platform that may make you money as well.

I've just come up with  this beautiful Berghaus Women's Freeflow 20 (Amethyst / Purple Berry) from Amazon.co.uk. This is the one I have, but not in the great purple. Maybe I need a new rucksack?

Australian Open Tennis, and that old favourite celeriac.

Heading into a new week, the big news round the whitemoss household is that the Australian Open Tennis tournament has started. Will it be late nights, or do we get up early in the morning? As big tennis fans, this is a fortnight that messes up the body clock, but which we love.

I'm going to be updating my Top Mens' Tennis Players up close and personal page regularly. This is largely made up of my own photos from our annual visits to Queens Club , London in June. If you'd like to take a look and leave a comment that would be great.

The other news in the whitemoss web world is that my quirky What the heck can I do with celeriac? page has become my top lens on Squidoo. Celeriac has definitely become more popular since I wrote this page about two years ago. It's such a versatile vegetable- known as "the ugly one", it's many great talents are now being recognised. Great in soups, mash, casseroles and raw in salads, if you don't know what to do with celeriac you'll find out here.

Readers in the UK who want to know more about celeriac and other great veggies could treat themsleves to Hugh's book 

River Cottage Veg Every Day! (River Cottage Every Day)

Cherry Blossom Time- plan a party!

Believe it or not, the Cherry Blossom is starting to appear in some places in the Northern hemisphere. Time to freshen up my Cherry Blossom Parties page.
This Japanese tradition has now spread all over the world. If you need an excuse for a party now that Christmas is over, take a look at my How to give a Cherry Blossom Party page and see if it's something you might like to try.
Very sadly our own favourite Cherry Blossom tree at White Moss House was blown down in the gales last week.
Read all about it on the White Moss House Blog- with pictures too.

Cherry Blossom party in Phialdelphia USA thanks to flickr

Purple Kindle Covers and Kindle skins

I love my Kindle but hate the grey colour ( or gray color if you're from the USA).
I've not only got one, I've got two, lovely purple Kindle covers, one a leather one, one lightweight.
Read all about my choice of the best Purple accesories for your Kindle here.

The article appears on the writers' website, Wizzley. If you're interested in making money by writing online, click the Wizzley link above to find out more. It's fun and easy to use.

The best Lake District books for your Kindle

Lots of people received a Kindle for Christmas. I've has my Kindle since last summer, and I just love it. One of the best uses for your Kindle is that it cuts down your baggage when travelling. Obviously you can download fiction to read whilst on holiday, but remember that you can also download guide books and other books related to your holiday destination. I've picked my favourite Lake District books for your Kindle. If you have any other suggestions please let me know.

Everyone's gone New Year Diet crazy

Every magazine or newspaper you open right now is full of tips to get slim and fit in 2012.
I'm suggesting you try The Dukan Diet. I lost 14 ponds before Christmas on the Dukan Diet, and I's suggest you read Starting the Dukan Diet for my top tips.

The first few days of the Dukan Diet are called The Dukan Diet Attack Phase and I've written a whole lens to help you through the Dukan Diet Attack Phase. which I think you'll find really helpful.

You do really need to buy the book. UK readers can buy The Dukan Diet from amazon.co.uk here.