Kilt Up and Ceilidh For C-R-Y

You all know by now that sport is a big thing in our house! Whether it's watching it on TV or hubby playing it, we are huge fans.


Jonathon is the Chairman of Rottenrow Hockey Club, a fantastic, friendly, successful team that I have blogged about many times before. They have had a truly brilliant season, winning both of their leagues, and undefeated I might add. The 1st team are also into the semi-final of the District Cup (this Saturday!!) .... pretty good for a club founded in 2008 by a few pals!

Today's post isn't just to praise the amazing Rottenrow, it's also to bring your attention to a charity ceilidh they are hosting on 12th May 2012 at Strathclyde Union in conjunction with Blue Sox Hockey Club. Their chosen charity? Cardiac Risk in the Young (C-R-Y).

C-R-Y is a Registered Charity (which raises awareness of SADS (Sudden Adult Death Syndrome) and offers bereavement support to those that are affected. Their current mission statement is to work with cardiologists and family doctors to promote and protect the cardiac health of the young across the UK.


This is an especially relevant charity with regards to recent sporting events, and also directly affects one of Rottenrow's own team members, so it's hoped that people will dig deep and have a great night to support the hockey team and this fantastic cause.

So if you fancy coming along and supporting this great charity as well as these two successful clubs tickets are now on sale at £12 each! For more information about the ceilidh and to get your tickets become friends with Rottenrow on Facebook or email Calum Easton.


There's also going to be a raffle on the night! Who doesn't love a good raffle? Details of some of the fantastic prizes will appear on this post over the next couple of weeks but if you feel you would like to donate a prize then please drop me an email or DM me on Twitter. Likewise, if you are a company who would like more information about the hockey clubs or C-R-Y please just get in touch.


To get your hands on some raffle tickets email Ally Millar.



Raffle prizes include (this will be updated over the next few weeks) - 

• Meal for Two (3 courses & bottle of wine) at Collage Restaurant - with thanks to Radisson Blu Glasgow.

• Jura 10 Year Old Malt Whisky - with thanks to Jura Malt Whisky (@jura_whisky)

• Meal for Two (2 courses & bottle of wine) at Ad Lib, Glasgow. - with thanks to Ad Lib.

• £25 Wahanda Gift Voucher - with thanks to Wahanda (@Wahanda)

• 2 x tickets to Glasgow Film Theatre - with thanks to Glasgow Film Theatre

• Meal for Two (2 courses & bottle of wine) at SoHo, Glasgow - with thanks to SoHo, Glasgow

• £50 Experience Days Voucher - with thanks to www.experiencedays.co.uk

• £20 Di Maggios Voucher - with thanks to Di Maggios

• Brabo Triple Stick Bag - with thanks to Hockey Factory Shop

• £50 Viva Brazil Voucher - with thanks to Viva Brazil, Glasgow

• Innis & Gunn Goodies - with thanks to Innis & Gunn (@InnisandGunnUK)

PS depending on response there may even be a silent auction, watch this space....



Please note: 


Half of all ticket money and raffle money will be donated to C-R-Y. The remaining money will be used to cover the costs of the event, and to contribute towards Rottenrow and Blue Sox equipment for next season.

Top Natural Tips on Reducing Blood Pressure - Philip Weeks

High Blood Pressure or Hypertension is a common health problem in the UK.  With around 30% of people not even aware that they have the problem[1].  It is easy to diagnose and someone has hypertension if there blood pressure is measured above 120/80. 

It is always important to get your levels checked and to follow your Doctors advice, as high blood pressure is dangerous, increasing your chances of developing a Heart Attack and Stroke.  However there are also simple lifestyle choices that you can make, that can lower your blood pressure naturally.

Lose Weight

Being over weight can contribute to high blood pressure.  Measure your BMI to see what weight would be ideal for you.  Loosing excess weight can be a very effective way of reducing Hypertension naturally.  

Exercise can help reduce blood pressure.  It doesn’t have to be strenuous to be effective.  Walking every day, swimming and even weight lifting can be helpful.  

Reduce Stress

image from weheartit

Meditation can be very helpful in reducing your overall stress levels and help normalise your blood pressure.  Studies have shown that meditation can help reduce hypertension[2].  There are courses in ‘mindfulness meditation’ which teaches you the process in a methodical and straightforward way.  Many people find taking flower essences helpful, particularly the Australian Bush Flower essence ‘Calm and Clear’.  

Vitamin D

There is research to suggest that having inadequate vitamin D levels can be a risk factor for high blood pressure[3].  Our body can manufacture vitamin D from sun exposure.  Most people are deficient in the vitamin and many people benefit from taking it as a supplement.

Eat a low GI diet

Eating a diet low in sugar, refined carbohydrates, (such as white bread, pasta and rice) as well as meat, can be a helpful for a number of conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity[4].

Salt

Excess salt intake increases your likelihood of developing a stroke and hypertension.  LoSalt is particularly helpful as it contains potassium, which in itself can keep blood pressure stable. 

Drink Beetroot Juice

A glass of beetroot juice a day has shown to lower blood pressure, in some cases significantly.  It is believed that the high levels of Nitrite contributes to this effects.[5]

Philip Weeks is an expert on natural medicine and is a Master Herbalist and Acupuncturist.

www.philipweeks.co.uk

[1] www.nhs.uk/conditions/Blood-pressure-(high)/Pages/Introduction.aspx

[2] Meditation training and essential hypertension: A methodological study. Seer, Peter Raeburn, John M., Journal of Behavioural Medicine, 1980-03-01

[3] Plasma 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels and Risk of Incident Hypertension Hypertension. 2007

[4]Dietary treatment of the metabolic syndrome – the optimal diet British Journal of Nutrition (2000), 83, Suppl. 1, S143–S148

[5] Queen Mary, University of London (2008, February 6). Daily Glass Of Beet Juice Can Beat High Blood Pressure, Study Shows.


Thank you to Philip Weeks for this guest post. No reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post.

Restoring Furniture with Joanna Murray

Joanna Murray has a passion for home interiors, a passion which is perfectly complemented by her great talent for restoring furniture. Joanna brings classically English pieces of furniture back to life using traditional upholstery methods and I'm delighted that today she has taken the time to share with us some of her tips for restoring furniture.

Leather Occasional Chair

Choosing a solid piece of furniture is essential, if you have an old chair in the house that you would like to restore, get an expert to whizz their eyes over it and check that the frame is good and not ridden with wood worm.  Like anything in life if your foundation is good then you’ve got something to build on.  This rule also applies if you are buying an old piece from a shop or auction, if the frame is solid and in good working order then go for it but don’t buy something that is rotten, sadly if the frame has gone it’s probably the end of that piece of furniture’s life.


Always choose the traditional methods of restoring furniture over any new fads that may be suggested to you, they might be a little more expensive but remember you get what you pay for, so paying more in the first instance will mean that it will last longer and stand the test of time.

Edwardian Winged Arm Chair

When choosing fabrics it’s great to look for something a little different that will draw people’s attention when they walk into a room but try not to be tempted by fleeting fashions, if you are unsure it’s better to err on the side of caution then have a statement chair that you fall out of love with or looks dated.


If you would like further advice on up cycling or to see what current pieces of furniture I have for sale then please visit my website at www.joannamurray.co.uk


Thank you to Joanna Murray for taking the time to write this post. No reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post.

Inspired By Egypt

If you had asked me which countries were on my list to visit, I don't think Egypt would have been up there. Why not? Well, to be honest, it had never actually crossed my mind. When I was younger we had some truly fantastic family holidays but we always tried to avoid the heat (for a combination of health reasons and pastey white Scottish skin). It hadn't really occurred to me that I might some day go in search of the sun, heat and a whole new culture.

When I met my husband he opened my eyes to other holiday destinations that are out there. He had been on holiday to Sharm el Sheikh with his family and absolutely loved it. One look on the internet and I was sold on the idea so in 2008 we saved up our pennies and booked up for 10 days in the winter sun of the Red Sea Coast.

Truthfully I was a bit nervous about the trip; I had never flown that far (I really don't like flying)...and of course there were the usual stories about folk getting ill on their hols and spending their time in the sun in the loo!

Honestly I needn't have worried at all. We had an absolutely fantastic holiday and I'd go back in a heartbeat.

My first memory is getting off the plane at night and being amazed at how warm it was. We found our bus and I knew that this was going to be a totally different holiday from any I had ever had. The bus was more a minibus really and had Egyptian rugs and carpets on the floor - instantly I liked it.....although I wasn't so sure about the driving.

We arrived at our hotel in the dark and my next memory is of opening the curtains the next day and seeing the amazing view from our room. Quite honestly I was speechless ... and if you know me you'll know that doesn't happen often!

Me on the Balcony

Our room looked out over the Red Sea towards, over the resort and towards Saudi Arabia. Looking the other way we had mountains which reminded me of home. I fell in love with one that I thought was just like Ben Hiant...it looked different every time you looked at it, beautiful.

the mountains I became obsessed with

Quite simply we wanted a chilled, relaxing holiday to recharge our batteries and we absolutely got this in Sharm. Our resort was immaculately clean and so green I couldn't get over it! Everyone was extremely friendly and couldn't do enough to help.

Hubby

We ended up spending a lot of time in the sea. There were pontoons that jutted out into the sea over a coral reef so that you could just jump in and swim!

I had only tried snorkelling once, when we were in Spain. While I thought that was amazing, I was blown away by snorkelling in the Red Sea.  I must have spent hours just floating about watching the fish. It's something that you can't really put into words; it's like having a wee porthole into another world...I'd love to take my Dad out there so he could see this wee world too - I know he'd love it.

Me watching the fish.

Even when I was stung by, what the locals told me, was a jellyfish (really, really painful by the way) you couldn't stop me from getting into that water and splashing about!

We spent the rest of our holiday eating, walking, reading, sunbathing and taking a couple of wee trips, the highlight of which for me was the glass bottomed boat - yes I'm on about those fish again!

I now wish we had seen more of the sights while we were there, but at the time we just wanted to chill. I'd love to go to St. Catherine's Monastery and perhaps split the trip between Sinai and the Nile as I've heard great things about that area.

We had such a fantastic holiday, I would most definitely go back. I crave the heat these days as it seems to help my pain .... or maybe that's just a good excuse? 

My dream is to one day be able to afford to take my family out there, get my Dad snorkelling, my Mum out sunbathing and my sister in the spa. Perhaps one day!

Evening from our balcony.

Disclosure - this is an entry for a competition.  Holiday was taken in 2008.

I'm Supporting British Athletes with Next!

I cannot wait for the Summer! Nope not for the sun or the BBQs, or for the ice creams or reading in the garden....I can't wait for the sport!

I quite simply love sport. Between the Euros and the Olympics my summer is filled! I've never been any good at sport, and I'm certainly not now, but I love watching and supporting these incredible athletes who strive to reach their life's hopes and dreams. Well that and I love sport, sport, sport!

I guess this year is even more special though, we are hosting this historic event here in our very own country! It's a fantastic chance to see world class athletes, enjoy a day out and give your support to our British sportsmen and women.

One brilliant way to support the 900 athletes representing Great Britain is to join Next's "I'm Supporting" campaign.

Next have designed two fantastic Official Team GB and ParalympicsGB Supporters' Scarves, both of which have dozens of different ways in which they can be worn, meaning you can support our British Athletes in style!

Both scarves have been designed to capture the essence of the Olympics and to support all of our 900 athletes.

Official Team GB Supporters' Scarf

The TeamGB scarf is super cool with 900 figures to represent the 900 athletes of our greatest team, 900 hearts to show our special love for each of them, 900 stars to recognise that every one of our athletes is a true star, 14 Paralympic Lions to remind us we're also celebrating and supporting the 14th Paralympic Games, 60 hands to symbolise the athletes' sixty million supporters, 26 sports are all represented on the scarf, the date of the London 2012 Opening Ceremony and 1 map of Great Britain. Phew....that's a lot of support crammed into one scarf!

Personally I have the Official ParalympicsGB scarf and I really love it!

Official ParalympicsGB Supporters' Scarf

This scarf is a hand painted Lion which is a visual reflection of the quote "Ice in your mind, fire in your belly", which shows the sheer courage, talent and determination of our Great British Athletes! Like the TeamGB scarf this one also has 60 hands to symbolise the sixty million GB supporters and the map of Great Britain.

Both of these scarves are available in two different sizes, retailing at £5 for the small and £10 for the large. ALL of the profits from the sale of these scarves will be donated to the British Olympic Association, so as well as supporting the team visually you are also supporting them financially - a great idea!

So I guess the question that remains is .... how will you style yours? Well I'm more of a sports fan than I am a fashionista but I've had fun playing with ideas for how to wear my scarf.

I have the small scarf so it's not quite big enough to wear as a proper scarf so I've gone for a slightly different way of wearing it.

I decided to try and create a flower-kind-of-shape from my scarf to wear through the buttonhole on my winter coat. Yeup I did say winter - well it was SNOWING yesterday so I haven't quite cast it aside just yet.

As the scarf is 100% cotton and easily washable it is also great for hubby to wear while playing sports....although it does need a good wash afterwards!

Jonathon plays hockey and badminton, by wrapping this scarf round his wrist he is showing his support for the Great British athletes and finds it useful to wipe his brow too!

In fact I've also give this style a go and I really like it! It's comfy and I feel really proud to be showing my support for British athletes.

OK, I've been saving this til last - I didn't want to distract you from the awesomeness of the scarves. By wearing your scarf you could be in with a chance of winning a fantastic weekly prize through Next's Wear It,  Wave It and Win competition!

The prizes this week are five pairs of ParalympicsGB House Day Passes. There will be different prizes every week so make sure you keep an eye on the page!

How can you enter this great competition? Well it's really easy. You just need the 10 digit code on the label of your scarf and a photo of you rocking your scarf! Simple! Plus when you enter you can also write your own message of support to our British athletes.

So what are you waiting for? Go and get yourself a supporters' scarf. They are available to buy in Next stores nationwide or online.

A sample scarf was received for the purposes of this post. By posting this I am entered into a prize draw for Next vouchers. No other reward, financial or otherwise, was received in exchange for this post. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Blossom Mother & Child Giveaway

Spring is here! Or at least it was last week....this week there are stories of snow. Even so the time is, just about here, to dig out all of those lightweight clothes and push the woollies to the back of the wardrobe. It's a great time to stock up on the latest fashions for summer...buying early means you will make the most out of your clothes this season.

Pregnant ladies will be pleased to hear that all of their spring/summer fashion and pregnancy needs can be met in a one-stop shop, Blossom Mother and Child. From your first trimester to post pregnancy there is a huge range of products with something for everyone. 

Blossom Empire Maternity Dress Seychelles

Blossom have their own in-house collection which has been inspired by the latest runway fashions and have been custom designed to suit the pregnant body. In fact all of their clothing has been tested on a Blossom Bump to ensure a perfect pregnancy fit.  Moreover they feature many celebrated designers, with some fantastic brands on offer.

Tucker The Dress

I've loved browsing through their website.  It is very user friendly, allowing you to search by clothing type, stage of pregnancy, collection or designer and is packed full of products. I've picked out a few of my favourite items to share with you in this post.  

Mothers En Vogue Wrap Duo Nursing Top

7 For All Mankind Maternity Bootcut Jeans

There's more to the website than just maternity clothes though! Blossom has some gorgeous baby clothes and accessories, gifts for mummy, daddy and baby, a baby pharmacy, books, pregnancy pillows, changing bags....the list goes on! It really is a lovely website... I could spend ages browsing it!

Levi's Baby Denim Pinafore Dress

Storksak Olivia Changing Bag

Ok I really MUST stop posting my favourite items, but honestly there's just so much choice! Now for the fabulous news.... here at Rhoda Reviews we have joined forces with the lovely people at Blossom Mother and Child to give you the chance to win a £100 voucher for Blossom Mother and Baby!

To be in with the chance of winning this great prize simply complete the Rafflecopter form below (hit F5 if it doesn't appear straight away).