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New York Bakery Company - Orange And Cranberry Bagels

Happy Christmas Eve Eve everyone - the hours and minutes are ticking away for all the last minute shoppers out there, but that doesn't mean you can't still snap up something nice if you're quick, or plan your next post Xmas shopping trip. I thought now would be an ideal time to bring back 'Freelancers Snack Time', my feature where I review something yummy which may (or may not) be right at home on my home office desk. This time I was lucky enough to have the chance to review New York Bakery Company's Orange and Cranberry Bagels. I am a fairly recently convert to bagels as the taste of a plain bagel doesn't really do it for me, I hate onions with a passion so an onion bagel was out, and to be honest I couldn't be bothered with any special fillings. But thanks to Mum I now have a thing for New York Bakery's Cinnamon and Raisin Bagels, and they are until now, the only brand/make I have eaten on a regular basis. I was intrigued to taste the orange

Quinessence Muscles And Joints Bath Soak

It's a week full of last minute shopping ideas for Christmas here on These City Days, but these products can be bought all year round, so here's an idea with that in mind. I was recently given the opportunity to pick a product from the Quinessence Aromatherapy range. I am a big fan or aromatherapy for relaxation, and have long had lavender products to use, but this time fancied something a bit different, so like a kid in a sweet shop I browsed and came across the Muscles and Joints Bath Soak. The bath soak comes in a 200ml bottle and appealed to me because along with Cardamon, Majoram, Sea Lavendar, Irish Moss and Seaweed, it also contains Chamomile. I have never been able to stomach tea or coffee, so don't drink Chamomile tea, but have often read of it in association with relaxation and stress relief, so I figured, if I can't drink it, why not bathe in it. The bottle arrived and I tested it out that same night, and for a few nights following. Although the branding

Nutra Nail Gel Perfect Review

Me and nail polish don't always have the best relationship. I am one of those who loses patience when waiting for the polish to dry, or thinks it's dry, then gets ready for a night out, or gets on with some work, and hey presto it isn't quite dry or it chips easily. But I do like adding some colour to my nails, which is why I accepted the Nutra Nail Gel Perfect challenge, when offered the chance to review the product. Nutra Nail Gel Perfect offers a gel like manicure without the need of a UV lamp and curing process. I was sent a box containing Sugar Plum gel colour, an activator and brush cleaning solution (which I was to discover is very important). It all came in a neat little box, emblazoned with the words "sets rock solid in 5 minutes to a patent leather shine". All sounded good on first impressions, and purple is one of my favourite colours, so I was eager to see how tough the product really was. For each nail you go through a quick process of applying la

Pottery Painting At Make Do And Mend

My first ever attempt at pottery painting I would apologise for the Christmas craft overload, but I am not sorry, because there are so many great ideas about, and crafting keeps me distracted from the stress of Christmas. The other week I went along to Make Do and Mend in Chelmsford, as they had a pottery painting session on, and having been twice before, I couldn't resist painting something else festive for the tree. The sessions are run by ceramics teacher, and expert painter Mell from Potters Bar Paint Your Own Pottery , and she does a great job of teaching little techniques such as dotting, stars, and hearts, and letting everyone know what colours can be layered up together, and generally encouraging those who weren't sure what to do, and lacked the confidence to touch their chosen pottery pieces with some paint. It's pretty addictive, and relaxing sitting there coming up with my ideas, and watching what everyone This year's decoration else is doing. Eve

Kerfuffle Game Review

One of my favourite things is playing board games, right from when I was young and my parents introduced me to games such as Build A Ladybird, Snakes and Ladders, and Guess Who. Some of the family favourites me and my sister we even played some games when we were long past the age they were aimed at. With my sister having flown the next, and Mum and Dad spending nights in front of the television, none of them are quite as willing as me to play, especially when it involves anything that is too long or complicated. Luckily Paul Lamond Games is pretty good at satisfying the tolerance levels, which is why I was happy to get the chance to try out Kerfuffle, part of their family games range. Kerfuffle is a dice based game suitable for 2-4 players. If you play with 2 players you use all the dice (half each), and with 3 or more players, you have one set of dice each. There's no set-up involved, you just take the game board out of the box, divide up the dice, and you are ready to go. Th

Our Handmade Christmas

*written in association with Hobbycraft I saw a call-out recently for writers to do a piece about making things handmade for Christmas, unfortunately I couldn't apply, as it had to be literally everything handmade, so I thought I'd share some thoughts on what my family and I do to put our own handmade stamp on the festive season. Festive Baking For as long as I can remember we've had the delicious smells of baking wafting through the kitchen. Mum makes her own mincemeat from a tried and tested recipe, and makes a few jars too - mince pies never last very long in our house. Mum also makes our Christmas Cake, though has never yet let me loose on the decoration, telling me off when I offer up too many ideas. This year I may get lucky, and already have some Doctor Oetker Gold Shimmer Spray and some marzipan stashed away. I tend to stay out of the kitchen nearer the time, too many people and a bit too much stress. I stick to the washing up, laying the table, helping w

Chelmsford Christmas Lights Switch On - 24th November 2013

Although I started my Christmas shopping a while ago, I just don't feel properly festive until the Christmas lights are switched on in my home city. It's an annual event I always look forward too, and I've been to many - seeing penguins, reindeer's, ice sculptures, and music acts such as Lee Mead, Olly Murs, Kym Marsh (as she was then) and Jo from S Club. The town is full of festive cheer, there's always a nice community spirit, and queues of people round the hot chocolate and mulled wine stalls. This year I popped into town for the 2013 event and I was more than ready to relax and have some fun. There were lovely lights strung between the market and shops, which created quite a stunning effect, a mobile farm created a live nativity scene, and children were busy getting their faces painted, or taking part in craft activities. I snapped a few festive photo's then made my way up the high street to the Heart FM music stage for the afternoons main entertainme

Scottish Fine Soaps Christmas Collection

Some of the goodies I reviewed I have a festive treat for you today blog readers, but first off, thank you all for coming along and reading/commenting on my blog since June, and for getting all festive along with me now. I've always been fascinated seeing old pictures of my town, and realising the how long some of the companies have been around. That's one thing that appealed to me with Scottish Fine Soaps, as they've been around since 1974 - imagine how many soaps they have made in that time. I'm also passionate about small business and independent retailers, so one of the things I wanted to do on the blog, was showcase that. So here I am, having just tried and tested the Scottish Fine Soaps Christmas collection. The attractively packaged gifts I had to test are- Spiced Apple Soap In A Tin - £4.96 Spiced Apple Little Bear Soap - £4.75 Gingerbread Luxurious Essentials Drum - £9.95 The problem I have with xmas scented products is they are either way too over

Make Of The Month - Felt Christmas Stocking

Laurens Cards and Craft I don't know about anyone else, but I am starting to feel the festive spirit now. Christmas shopping is well underway, and so is some crafting. Sorry I've not showcased any makes for a while, but I've not had time for much crafting. One thing I was determined to do though, was to make my little nephew (1 year old now!!) a little representation for the Christmas tree. I decided pretty quickly to make him a little stocking, small enough to hang on the tree, but big enough that 'Santa' could fill with a few goodies on Christmas Eve. The challenge will probably be finding things to fill it, given my nephew is only one, but I had a lot of fun making it. The design is a festive Spot the Dog. My sister still has a Spot which she was given as a baby, and as Joey also has a Spot soft toy and books, I thought this would be a fun image to put on the stocking. Most of the stocking was done freehand. I drew freehand templates of the stocking sha

New Look Psychologies Magazine - Out Now!

When I launched my blog back in June, health and well-being was one of the subjects I aimed to include in my content hit list. I have skirted around the topic in various ways - such as talking about my Race For Life experience as I fundraised for Cancer Research - now I have been given the opportunity to delve headfirst into the topic once again - this time with a magazine review. I have read Psychologies Magazine a few times in the past - so I am coming at this review with a little general knowledge, although I don't have too much to compare their new look magazine to. I remember a feature from a well known face on 'not being ashamed to be a pop fan' that I related to, and a general sense of inspiring content. On the letters page the editor claims to be bringing readers  "new sections, new look, and new experts." This is where I was a bit disappointed, as I was expecting something obviously different, but the December 2013 issue still has the same glossy

Matt Cardle - Porcelain Album Review

Porcelain Album Signing - HMV Chelmsford Oct 2013 Christmas is coming, but the goose isn't quite fat. It is however time to sit and think about what you'd all like Santa to bring you for Christmas, and as in my house this normally means some kind of musical entertainment, I thought it would be a good opportunity to bring some music posts to These City Days. Matt Cardle released his third studio album, titled Porcelain on October the 28th, and it has presented rather more of a review challenge than anticipated. Normally I find it quite easy to earmark what I believe to be potential singles, and what are 'album tracks', but just when I thought the lyrics were a little too 'bubblegum' on one track, or another took too long to get going, along comes an instrumental, a strong hook in a chorus, or smooth change of mood or tone to keep me interested. I am well used to delving into the different elements of the song for a review, but here I think it's about lo

Race For Life Twilight 5k - Mission Completed!

All In Pink - Waiting For The Race To Start Well, we have survived the 'storms' in one piece, so I thought now was a good time to nail down a little blog post about my first Race For Life experience. Our Chelmsford 5K Twilight event happened on the 24th October, and luckily the weather held. I have to admit I was nervous about that right up until the day, but the weather gods shone kindly on Chelmsford. I knew from seeing pictures of other Cancer Research and Breast Cancer Care events that pink was a common colour theme, and wearing pink is positively encouraged, but I wasn't sure how many would join in with this. I arrived at Central Park and was surrounded by a sea of pink. Some had tutu's and fairy lights, others had sweat bands, deely boppers and pink t-shirts or jumpers. To add to the effect the event organisers had several pink up lights around a group of trees, and fairy lights strung along one part of the course, plus the flashing finish start/finish line.

Christmas Tag Post

Source - Tweak Your Biz Eagle eyes may have spotted me joining in with a fun Autumn Tag Post, thanks to my blogger friend Vicky, who posted before me. I had fun answering all the questions, so I thought I'd start of a Christmas one. Perhaps Vicky will be first, and lots of you will all join in as well - it is about time we got just a little bit festive after all! 1. Do you buy anything in the January sales for next Christmas? Yes, I am normally down at the sales looking for a treat for myself, find nothing, wonder at the people with bags stuff full of stuff, and then go home with nothing but reduced cards or gift wrap! 2. Are you organised when it comes to Christmas? I'm on a self employed income, which can go up and down like a rollercoaster, especially as most pay in 30 days. I normally start xmas shopping in October/November when the festive gifts are in the shops, and birthdays are out the way. I also have a rough budget for every person I buy for, and try and

Comment - My Thoughts On Reading, Books, and Kindles

I recently read a lovely post on the To Become Mum blog about reading and books, which mentioned a study by Littlewoods on the subject . It caught my eye because of her passion for books, and her feelings mirror my own. So I decided to write my own post, after finding the stats a hard read. 2000 parents were surveyed, with just 64 per cent of them read their children bedtime stories, and a quarter of a million under 7's don't earn a single book. The survey hints at parenting issues, stress, lack of time, and an apathy toward reading from children more interested in television and computer games. Tastes change, and with so many distractions on the market as well, not everyone will grow up with a love of books, and keep on being a bookworm into adulthood. Although me and my sister both liked being read to when we were younger and read at an early age, I was always more into books than she was. These days my sister might read the odd magazine - or look at picture books wit

Cocoa Brown Tough Stuff Review

One of the things I enjoy about blogging is the chance to try out products and brands that are entirely new to me. I never use tanning products so Marissa Carter's Cocoa Brown brand has been a mystery to me until now. I was sent a sachet of 'Tough Stuff', an exfoliating scrub that claims it packs no punches, and sets to work on your rough areas, such as elbows, knees, and feet. I've seen a few blogs recently reporting on the scrubs use as a pre-tan, or tan stripping item as well, so it seems to be a product with two target markets. First impressions were good, as I liked the 50ml size of the sachet, and the pink branding would definitely stand out on a shop shelf. I also noticed the handy addition of usage tips, and explaining about using the scrub on dry and/or wet skin, which was a nice touch. The pink and girl theme continues inside with the product, so they have already achieved marks for consistency, but how does the product work? As I'm not a fan of fake

Autumn Tag

Anyone on Myspace remember when the latest craze was to answer surveys, which spread like wildfire round peoples profiles? It's a big like Deja Vu, as I've spotted a few questionnaires on Blogger, although they are now known as Tag posts. So I am tagging Vicky over at Pretty Witty Things who has joined in with an Autumn Tag Post, and decided I would do one as well. For Autumn: 1. Favourite Thing About It? I'd have to say 'nice' Autumn weather. I'm not a big fan of grey skies, and wet and windy misery, so when I wake up to surprising blue skies, and sunshine it really lifts my mood.The other day I was sitting outside a cafe by the river, having a drink with my parents in the sunshine, and it was lovely. 2. Favourite Drink I've never been able to stomach tea or coffee, so my drink of choice would have to be hot lemon, or boiled water - which may seem a bit odd, but I find it refreshing. Occasionally if I need a boost then I may be naughty and rea

Energy Efficient Cooking Tips

 *sponsored post Source - PR Web Sometimes when I am searching out things online, I don't have to look too far to get results, especially when looking at something like energy bills, and energy saving tips and advice. Although the bills in our house are not under my name, as a family, we always look to save on energy where we can. Sometimes this might mean that it's not quite cold enough to heat the house while we're in and out - which equals cold typing fingers, but when it comes to cooking, energy efficiency makes our lives easier, and helps improve the bills. Eagle eyes may have spotted some food/baking based posts appear since I launched 'These City Days', so I thought for something different I'd add in some energy efficient cooking tips as well. I like cooking, and 'can cook', but I'm no expert, so anything that can save me stress and energy is a winner. * Use your microwave Microwave Steamer  Microwaves are the most energy eff

Why Art Envy Isn't All Bad

 * I sent this post in as part of a columnist application last year - as it's unpublished I thought I'd share it with you now* Mum has often told me that she’s amazed I still make comments about my school days, which ended, well, a fairly long time ago. None of us can help the memories that stick in our minds though, and one of those I found hard to forget, was that I always wanted to be better at art. My sister ended up with the artistic genes, while I was given the gift of the written word, which is great, but it’s something that has always frustrated me. My memories of my school art lessons include a photo frame I was very proud, of being wrecked in the kiln, and spending copious amounts of time drawing folded bits of paper and toilet rolls. Who knew there were so many ways to draw paper! Perhaps that’s where my art envy started. I wanted to learn, but I wanted to draw something interesting, get the paints out, or spend another term in the potter