Nayu's Feature Post #5 Water Safety with Royal Life Saving Society UK 2018

Image provided by RLSS UK

 I got approached by Royal Life Saving Society UK with tips on how to try and prevent water accidents. It's not the most pleasant of topics, but as you'll see in the post there are quite a lot of accidental drownings in water each year, and it's not necessarily always the people you hear about on the news. For some reason I didn't think people participating in water sports would be affected (surely they have life jackets and know about water safety), but they are. I knew about idiots who think it's fun to do cliff diving (NEVER DO IT!) and who invariable having severe or fatal accidents doing that. There are other surprising accidents with water. 

Because this is a PSA (public services announcement: something everyone should know) type post I am putting it on both my blogs, this one and Nayu's Reading Corner at the same time, to maximise the amount of people I can get this message towards. 

Here's the all important info: please share this with your friends and family, especially if they go near water. The first paragraph is directly from a RLSS UK email: 

Thousands of people are hospitalised due to near drowning experiences in the UK every year and hundreds more lose their lives. A national campaign to tackle the problem kicks off this week [this was in June, I'm a little later than planned posting this] and will see leisure centres, schools, businesses and communities uniting across the UK to try to prevent summer drowning tragedies. 

Here's an even easier image to remember the main points: 

This may be from a previous campaign - I got it from Google.

So wherever you are remember to stay safe this summer! 

Nayu's Feature Post #4 London Embroidery Exhibition 12th-13th July

This post is all about bags, so it seems fitting that I show you my main bag (I don't have many) - it's the lovely Gorjuss Ladybird girl! The other side is a little different, but this is the only picture I could find quickly online.

Note: Anything in black font is my own thoughts, anything in purple is taken from emails/websites, which I give the source where possible.

Company logo

This request came through on my book review blog, but since it's a craft themed event I thought I'd talk about it here! I didn't go, and as you can see from the post's title it is now over - this is the earliest I've been able to put the post together Here's the info from the email I received from Hand & Lock's agent (unsure of correct term to use in this instance. Might be publicist, but not quite sure). Hand & Lock explain themselves best on their website: 

Hand & Lock are London’s premier embroidery house providing embellishment services to the Royal Family, top European design houses, the Royal Armed Forces, Savile Row and members of the public. In our central London atelier we offer a range of services from hand monograms and bridal customisation to goldwork blazer badges and machine embroidered logos. Every commission we undertake receives the highest care and attention from our team of dedicated embroidery designers and expert embroiderers. Whether you are a top Italian designer or a new parent looking to monogram your daughter’s christening outfit the process the process is exactly the same.

This bag is by Aspinal of London Someone in my family loves poppies, which I believe these flowers are (no idea about what type the butterfly is - I can only identify a cabbage white!) The stitching is perfect, and  looks a sophisticated bag

Wow. That's quite an impressive list of clients, as well as being a long established business before the 21st century!  Even before seeing any of the pictures I knew the bags would be exquisite, and they are! I can pretty much guarantee none of them would be under £30 which is the most I've ever spent on a bag (I'm not a bag buying type of girl). 

This beautifully coloured bag is by Jill Haber. I find the eye creepy, but ignoring that (a bit hard...) I love the turquoise and gold flower (except I'm sure it's meant to be a hand), with the stars accenting the corners. Not entirely sold on what looks like a bellpull, but overall it's a pretty creation.

Anyway, from the original email I was told that Hand and Lock is hosting the London Embroidery Exhibition featuring lots of amazing collaborations they’ve worked on over the years including pieces straight from the Vivienne Westwood AW17 runway and Mary Katrantzou.  Among these gems, we also have the ‘Embellished Bags’ – a project where Hand & Lock have teamed up with the following iconic hand bag designers to create an exclusive limited edition collection: Aspinal of London, Jill Harber, Vivienne Westwood, Alfie Douglas, House of Holland, Lost Property of London, BVS Design, Asprey, The Cambridge Satchel Company, Lulu Guiness, Globe-Trotter, Patrick Cox and Agnes B. 

This understated yet elegan Fleur de Lys bag is by Patrick Cox. I love the contrast between the plain white/cream and the heavily patterned symbol.

I've heard of Vivienne Westood, but that's about the only designer I recognise - I'm not really into bags at all, but knowing designers has nothing to do with admiring these works of fine craftmanship! I've saved my favourite until last, a modern design which while I'm not overly fond of red things (I know my bag is red, but it depends what type of red) this is the bag that grabbed my eye the most, and is by Henry Holland. I like the swirly bits and the way the colours both stand out and compliment each other.

A Hentry Holland bag

I hope you've enjoyed this feature post - hopefully there will be more exhibitions like this in the future that I can share with you!

Nayu's Feature Post #3 Ramadan 2017 R

Ramadan is almost over - it finishes this weekend. As seems to be the case last year I had planned to try and do some special Ramadan posts but life turned out differently. I think for next Ramadan, God willing I'm alive then, I'll put aside posts throughout the year so matter what happens in Ramadan 2018 I'll have more than a catch up post for you! 

Ramadan is the best time of year for Muslims, for people who are health it involves fasting during daylight hours. Here are some posts which I've written in previous years about this most blessed month. 

Ramadan 2013 #1 What Ramadan is all about

Ramadan 2013 #2 Being flexible, some info on the Prophets

Ramadan 2013 #3 Why the last 10 days of Ramadan are so special, what I mean when I say tie your camel & be like a bird.

Ramadan 2013 #4 I chat about good deeds

Ramadan 2014 #1 My focus for Ramadan 2014

Ramadan 2014 #2 Nature, nurture & some rambling

 Ramadan 2015: Generic info

I don't fast because of my health issues - fasting is seriously not a good idea for me, but I still enjoy the spiritual side of it. I listen to the Quran more, stick with romance free books & audiobooks. This year I ran out of time to post all books with romance before Ramadan, which is why there are a fair few in the first week. I choose to barely watch any Youtube videos - got a nice lot to catch up on at the weekend! I also limit what I tweet - almost no gaming tweets too, which my family have been quite happy with. I make sure anime that I watch is suitable too

A fair few of the books I read/review & what I watch have some romance in, so I save some suitable especially for Ramadan, the most popular one being

Princess Sara: 1980s anime based on the book A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnet, about a rich girl who becomes poor then eventually rich again.

Sarah in the first episode with her father before he leaves for India and then dies.

I love Sara (or Sarah) so much. I relistened to the audiobook this Ramadan, and prefer her in the anime where she is more humble, and always kind. She can seem a bit snobby in the book version, which barely mentions her pony (called Jump in the anime, it's a French version which makes me laugh because why they choose Peter instead of Pierre for the boy who befriends Sarah in a totally non romantic way is a mystery).

Becky comforts Sara as best she can, as does Emily, Sara's treasured doll.

Becky is a rather funny, she makes Sara smile, she tries to make life easier for Sara when  Sara is a servant.

When she is rich she befriends the servant girl Becky  (again not the most French sounding name!), which she does in the book but not to the same extent. No matter the circumstances Sara is always kind and mostly smiling - even when hungry and finds some money she gives most away to someone in more need than her.

Here Sara returns to the bakery to say she will make sure there's money to give any child who needs food at all times. It turns out the baker (pictured) took care of the girl who Sara gave food to, who now helps in the bakery. A little kindness goes a long way.

There is a sequel which I reviewed on Nayu's Reading Corner, the ending doesn't fit the way the anime characters are - Lottie would never go with Lavinia who is shown to be so spiteful! I'm currently at the part where Sara gets ill as a servant go, but knowing she gets better & it's from this moment where magical things happen in the attic keep me going through the hard to watch episodes. 

Great fanart for Muslim style Miku!

Gaming wise I do play less of certain games (slash not at all). None of Hatsune Miku's songs are appropriate for Ramdan, I only watch Aikatsu! because there's no romance and it's the one anime that consisently cheers me up when I'm not well. I play Aikatsu My Number 1 Stage on my Japanese 3DS, but prior to Ramadan I went through all the song lyrics and figure out which ones I can keep playing during Ramadan. I even set up 4 special outfits, one for each type of card, to make a more modest outfit & not spend time choosing an outfit. That worked rather nicely! 

Ramadan is my favourite month of the year because it has a certain feel that only it an have. I hope those of you participating in it have a blessed time, and those of you not equally have had a good few weeks. I look forward to sharing more about this holy month in 2018!

Nayu's Feature Post #2 Motability cars & PIP assessments

Morning/afternoon/evening all! Whatever time of day it is I hope you have a great Wednesday.  Feature posts was the best category to put this post in, which is not craft related but a topic I'd like to talk about. 

Please note this is a necessarily long post. Originally I wasn't going to say anything about getting a new car, as it's a luxury many can't afford. However, I'm blessed by the Motability UK scheme which allows eligible disabled people to have a car which is paid by a certain benefit. If you ever want to donate to a good cause Motability is a charity to support. 

 

It really does!

So long as you have the higher rate Disability Living Allowance or the enhanced rate of Personal Independance Payment (PIP) you qualify for a car with Motability. A lot of the cars have nil advance payment (down payment). Motability simply take the DLA/PIP money each month so I can have a car. If you need them there are many adaptions that can be added to make driving easier. If you personally can't drive you can still have a car with a nominated driver. All you have to pay for is an excess if you need to make an insurance claim, and petrol. That's it! I'm getting my new one today!!!! 

 

There's no MOT cost, no tax cost (I'm actually tax exempt because I'm registered disabled), no service cost. There are some things that may need payment (I don't know about broken windscreens/wipers), but I don't know them offhand. I couldn't afford a car without Motability. It gave me my independence, meaning that I could actually get a job (currently self-employed), whih was necessary since I live in a village with no suitable jobs here. I can see my friends whenever I want, and take myself to medical appointments.

Double and triple check all your PIP application info

Time for a brief talk about PIP. This year I finally had my PIP assessment. PIP is replacing DLA. There are lots of horror stories about PIP assessments, but I know they are much better than they were when they first started. Don't go online and read anything about it, if you have to have one. Do get support from a medical professional. Not only do you need them for evidence about your disability, they provide emotional support through what is a stressful progress. I underestimated the stress of it.

The whole process, once I sent the application in, took about 3 months. It's possible to get an extension on the deadline, which I did since I was unwell for a little bit so couldn't do it.  I did pay postage so I could do signed and tracked delivery (they provide an envelope with postage paid but I need reassurance that it got where it needed to). My specialist nurse checked through my 8000+ word essay (all my answers). It took well over 12 hours on my account to finish it (writing it all, making changes, printing & sticking onto the form). The waiting was hard. I did get a letter or two from PIP saying that they were still considering my claim, which was nice of them. I'd signed up to the text service, which kept me updated with each stage too. 

Once I sent it off I didn't have to wait long for an assessment (which I'm sure they say can take up to 16 weeks to happen). You can reschedule at least once, which I did. Do ask what centers are near you, as they may not give you an appointment at the closest. I was automatically given Swindon yet my nearest was Reading & Theale, which are far closer to home. Theale had a super lovely team. I expected really stern doctors, but got a lovely female doctor who put me at ease. 

 

Assessments vary in time, they often go over material you've put in the application but that's normal. My took under 30 minutes. Then I anxiously waited for the result. I was fully prepared if I didn't get enough points to keep my car, but I was so pleased when I got the news I'd met the criteria needed to keep it. I'll be reassessed in a few years (no indefinite awards even if your condition won't ever improve), and until them am happily using my Motability car! No more dreading brown envelopes in the post! I know I'm one of the fortunate ones, many have got what they needed through the appeal process. Make sure you put everything down in the form, no matter how small the detail. 

Bye envelope of doom!

As a Motability customer I have the RAC for my insurance needs (which are all take care of by Motability). If you need help with your car just give the RAC a call and they'll help out (you'll get a tiny leaflet with the right number for a Motability customer). Years ago I did have an accident which wasn't my fault. Motability were amazing. I simply called the RAC who kept calling to let me know how far away they were. I got a replacement car quickly, and to my delight it was a top brand car (think it was Mercedes) which are a dream to drive! I was sad to return it but happy that my car was fixed. I've had a bird randomly fly up and take my wing mirror off, but I didn't claim insurance as it wasn't really worth the exceess. 

 

I've had a car with Motability for over 10 years now. I get a new one every 3 years. I've always been with Ford, first I had a Fusion, and now I have a B-Max. I've had purple, silver, and mid blue. This time I'm having black! It's been a colour I've really wanted for a while now (& it's nice to have a change). Black isn't always ideal in the dark, but I never drive at night (too tired & can't see as well as during the day), so that's not really a problem. 

 

This will be mine by the end of today!

It means so much to me to have a car through Motability, and I know it gives freedom to thousands of disabled people. Motability even had a scheme where they paid for 50 driving lessons for me, and 3 attempts at both the practical and theory driving test. It took me 3 attempts for the practical, and I did have to pay for extra lessons, but I got there eventually. I don't know if they still offer this scheme now, or the one positive of being disabled by being able to learn to drive a year before other people (I learnt when I was at uni), but I am forever indebted to Motability for giving me independence. This isn't a sponsored post in any way, I just want to let you know about what Motability does for me, and to consider it as a worthwhile charity to donate to. 

This seemed a post appropriate ending phrase!

 

Nayu's Feature Post #1: Crochet/designer for Purple Creative, Lizzie Francis!

Lizzie beavering away in the Purple's meeting room with Phil Joyce of Purple Creative

Today’s post is all about an incredible crocheter/designer, Lizzie Francis of Purple Creative. While I’m not a Christmas-y blogger in any way shape of form (I actively avoid blog posts on it, along with Halloween and Easter), I’d previously been emailed by the publicist involved, Natalie, so I knew Lizzie was something special for Natalie to ask me to chat about. Rather than a question and answer post, or Lizzie chatting about the incredible project, I'm responding to the information I've been sent about her.

I totally agree that Lizzie is amazing, since “she spent most of December surrounded by wool, creating every single request that came in via Twitter, all fitted in around her day job. …although Lizzie made a couple of Christmassy items for the knitivity, most were actually not related to Christmas, which included a Star Wars set, minions, a flamingo, a shark, an elephant, a dragon, a sausage dog, Eeyore, and a pizza. So quite a variety!” 

 A variety indeed! I was impressed that she did so much in the month around her work schedule – that’s impressive. Star Wars & the nativity themed items may get a lot of attention, but  the highlight of her work for me had to be Eeyore. 

"It's not much of a tail, but I'm kind of attached to it" (Eeyore says something like this)

Who doesn’t adore the gloomy donkey who can be realistic in his life observations? 

I can't be killed!

The cactus made me smile, not just because they are incredible plants but because I’ve managed to kill one in the past – it shrivelled up and then imploded in a gooey substance. 

Jaws time! (Cue high pitched scream)

The shark is fun too as I’ve a shark loving friend!

The response to the campaign generally was pretty amazing, as it got lots of love from the knitting and crochet community and also by the ad industry mags, one of whom put it in their list of favourite Christmas activity. 

Knitivity complete!

Lizzie is an avid knitter, who's been knitting since the age of five, with the help of her nannie, who taught her using small balls of wall and some plastic drink stirrers, which were sanded into points. Each one was a different colour to make it a little bit easier for Lizzie to learn.

Since I’m a recent crochet newbie, I love how Lizzie learnt to knit. It reminds me of when I was taught by my mother and grandmother, although I can’t recall who taught me and how. I’m fairly sure there weren’t coloured drink stirrers involved! It’s interesting that Lizzie was a knitter and then a crocheter, as a lot of people who crochet that  hear about have been doing it since they were little.

Purple Knitivity key facts

• Lizzie started crocheting for the Purple Knitivity on the 1st December and finished on 23rd December
• 30 characters were made in total 30 in less than 24 days in between work? Lizzie is a legend! I know how long it takes to make small items of crochet, let alone figures with faces!
• Purple raised £1050, which was donated to Great Ormond Street Hospital  That’s brilliant! I wholeheartedly recommend donating to GOSH, especially as I was a patient all of my childhood – it was sad when I had to go to the adult hospital, although I’m only ever an out-patient these days. They do tremendous work and provide support for the more unusual medical conditions, making the stay in hospital fun.
• Lizzie spent 140 hours crocheting for the knitivity – which doesn’t include falling asleep counting stitches instead of sheep! I’m wondering whether Lizzie watched shows and listened to audiobooks/the radio while she got busy with yarn, or if she just relaxed in silence. However she occupied her crochet time, the amount of time she spent on it is a bit mind boggling. 
• There were knitting needles, crochet hooks, big bags of wool and stuffing across her desk and Purple’s meeting room for the entire month of December, which were hurriedly cleared away every time a client came into the office

Lizzie crocheting at her desk

• Heehee! This made me giggle. It so wouldn’t have been possible in my previous job. Now I’m self-employed while I don’t have to clear my crochet for a client, I do have to make sure my lap is clear for my cat, who will throw a strop over anything. I wonder if Lizzie has a pet?
• Lizzie was busy crocheting at any given moment, including her commute to work. Crocheting on the bus, at rush hour, was a low point! Really? I can appreciate it isn’t an ideal situation, but crochet is so portable, and always cheers me up that I can’t see it as a negative. It’s a great way to promote it too!
• 10-15 balls of wool were used to create the Purple Knitivity. This equalled around 6,330 metres of wool For the curious who love Google, while I didn’t have the patience to figure out where you could go for 6,330 metres I did discover that 6330 is a postcode in Western Australia! That’s your random fact of the day covered. J  
• Lizzie created an entire Star Wars set of characters, which was asked for by Purple's Head of Digital Phil Joyce, and was finished to tie into the release date of the film, and took Lizzie about 40 hours That sounds quite an honour, I’m sure Lizzie had fun doing those figures!

About Lizzie Francis

Lizzie started knitting squares that were sewed together to create cushion covers. She then progressed on to toys and clothes for her teddies. I have to smile because while I didn’t make cushion covers, I did knit squares into a sleeping mat for my favourite teddy (I proudly still have the teddy and the mat!)  

And at the age of 11, Lizzie made her first jumper, to receive a Girl Guides badge. I was a Brownie, and I honestly can’t remember if I used my craft skills for a badge, so go Lizzie! I've included an old and new verison of the craft badge!

She then stopped knitting until she finished school and university, before starting to receive requests again from friends and family last year. I too had a break in craft, so can understand the continued delight of taking up an old pastime which has its own bank of memories. Since then, she hasn't stopped, and has had a couple of things on the go at once. Who doesn’t???! I don’t know anyone who just has 1 project in progress. Don’t ask how many I have – I know it’s under double digits!  

Her dad always makes requests by choosing items from Lizzie's knitting books, so he has a growing collection that includes iguanas, dinosaurs, foxes and elephants. I so approve of foxes – they are cute creatures! I’ve yet to knit an animal, and Lizzie has me feeling inspired to think about making my first Hello Kitty.  

I've got this cute book!

Now Lizzie regularly attends three knitting clubs, including Knaughty Knitters, Knitter's Anonymous and Wooly Bunch, and is currently knitting a 52 piece animal Noah's ark. Wow! I’m looking forward to see the ark which I’m sure will be superb!  Glad Lizzie’s got more projects already.

As you can see from these highlights, Lizzie is a talented, fun crocheter, always busy with yarn. I hope she’s inspired you to get out your needles and hooks, even if it is just to poke whoever deals with yarn in your life (me included)!