Brighter days, feathered friends and deals

I hope March finds you as well as can be expected…

Like many, I’ve been loving the most welcome sunshine most parts of the country have enjoyed recently – just the pre-spring tonic we all need. It has been so nice to get out and walk Toby and Ellie without coming back to warm bowls of soapy water to wash their muddy feet, legs and side skirts. As you can see, Ellie found the daffodils at the park and discovered it was a great game to weave in and out of all the yellow springing up everywhere. It’s the sign we all look for that spring is well on its way.

I took the opportunity to go armed with my camera to try and get a few more wildlife shots. Obviously, I’m unable to venture far currently, something I plan to do as soon as I’m allowed and especially now that I’ve renewed my RSPB membership – I can’t wait to visit some of their wonderful reserves. All that said, I’ve taken some lovely shots of garden birds visiting my feeders, stocked regularly with Richard Jackson’s Premium Bird Food and the Grumpy Gardener Fat Balls.

I’ve also recorded plenty of close-up videos, which I’m in the process of editing. Thank you for your lovely comments on my last blog, I find it so relaxing walking in the peaceful countryside, spotting our feathered friends and by the sound of it I am not the only one.

I am lucky enough to still have relatively good long-distance vision to be able to spot creatures hiding in their natural habitat, however over the last few years, I have been struggling a little with close up.

So QVC has a helpful solution and having  bought a set a few years back, I will definitely be investing in our Today’s Special Value (TSV) for tomorrow – a Set of Five Reading Glasses including one pair of anti-blue light readers, great for spending time at your computers. Why do I need five pairs you might ask? Well somehow I seem to leave them in my car, my coat and trouser pockets and of course… when you spot (often a mature male of the species) standing alone tapping every pocket, then moving up to the side of the head followed by several taps on the top – it’s usually not due to a headache or a new dance move but a search for optical assistance!! Of course, these glasses are designed for a quick close-up reading fix and I would encourage all of us to get our eyes professionally checked on a regular basis.

Spring is the time when we not only like to refresh our wardrobes but our whole being from top to toe. Where better place to start than our hair and on Wednesday check out the Philip Kingsley Three-piece Supersize Essentials Collection TSV (on pre-sale now). The reviews speak for themselves.

I might be speaking a little too soon but if this weather continues it won’t be long before I’ll be firing up the barbecue! Well, maybe not quite yet… so as we wait for the barbecue season, it does seem a waste to put the oven on for small items but perhaps our TSV on Thursday 4th March from Cook’s Essentials is the solution. It is a larger capacity (4.0L) Air fryer with digital display, available in a colour choice of Black, White, Slate Blue or Red. It looks so much more expensive than our great TSV offer price suggests and offers an efficient, often healthier way to quickly cook everyday foods, from using far less oil when air frying to re-heating your Real Pie Company delights without heating up your large built-in oven! 🙂

Our excellent Cook’s Essential kitchen guest Simon Brown will be on hand with his usual excellent demonstrations and to answer any questions you may have on the day.

A few years back when my son Jack was at university, we bought him an Amazon Fire Stick to plug into the TV he shared with his housemates. It turned out to be a very popular treat, as they sat watching a huge library of online movies and TV whilst they devoured their takeaway pizzas!

We have a great TSV coming up from Amazon in the form of their latest 2020 Fire Stick. Over the years technology has developed and developed, and the all new Amazon Fire Stick with Alexa voice remote is fantastic for HD streaming once connected to your Wi-Fi and plugged into your HDMI port on your TV. The Alexa functionality is so clever and turns a standard TV into a much “smarter” one and if you’re an Amazon prime member (not essential) it opens up a whole new world of entertainment. I’m hoping to get to play with a sample prior to the TSV launch on Friday 5th March.

Well, that’s all from me apart from wishing you all well and hoping you can join myself and Andi Peters during March, as we have three two-hour Andi Peters’ Food Fest shows to tempt you with. 😋

Until next time… stay spring fresh, in focus and well connected!

Dale