Monday 15 December 2008

RU_29111_Moscow_The_Kremlin


RU_29111_Moscow_The_Kremlin, originally uploaded by anniemcc.

beautiful postcard received today.

Monday 17 November 2008

YDC61

Listing time for the next YDC will be from
Friday 28th November until Sunday 30th November 2008.

And for all those that want to know what YDC is, the link below tells you all
(It's the last paragraph.)


Wednesday 15 October 2008

FR-34419


FR-34419, originally uploaded by HilsPics.

Isn't this just a fantastic postcard?

Friday 11 July 2008

"The Journey" - a postcard from Thailand on PostCrossing.com

After a day work, a mother elephant guards her baby on a journey home.

A beautiful postcard from the PostCrossing Gallery on Flickr.

Monday 16 June 2008

It's YDC time again on http://uk.ebid.net/

The listing period for YDC56 is from 6.00pm Friday 27th of June through to midnight Sunday 29th of June 2008

This months featured charity is The Dogs Trust

More details here:

Might get some items listed this time round :)

Thursday 15 May 2008

Original Torchon lace patterns designed by Joan Kelly

Calling all lacemakers, I have found a stash of Joan Kelly bobbin lace patterns (Moved house recently)

Joan stopped designing patterns years ago and her patterns have been unavailable for the last 8-10 years at least. I used to sell 100s of them when I had my Lace Supplies business.

So, I have started listing them on eBid - and once they're gone, they're gone.

They can be found in
http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Annies-Clearing-House-v2

Wednesday 26 March 2008

Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer - wikiHow


How to Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer


from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Sitting at the computer all day is not exactly good for the body. If you have to be at a desk all day long, doing some simple things can improve your posture and health.

Steps


  1. Sit properly in a good chair designed for desk work. Your back should be straight, shoulders back, and the top of your monitor should be level with your eyes. If you have to look down or up, you need to adjust the height of your screen. If you keep leaning forward, first get your eyesight checked. After a while you will improve your posture and no longer need this restraint.
  2. Maintain an ergonomic body posture while typing. Be sure your wrists are slightly lower than your elbows. This will help prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Keep your legs bent at the knees so that the knees are only slightly higher than your hips. Feet should be flat on the floor or on a step stool of some sort.
  3. Stand up every half hour to stretch or walk around a bit.
  4. Stretch your calves, and give your eyes a break from focusing on your computer screen. This will also help prevent blood clots from developing in your legs. Blood clots are very common among middle-aged computer users.
  5. Learn to stretch. To stretch your neck, flex your head forward/backward, side to side and look right and left. Never roll your head around your neck. This could cause damage to the joints of the neck.
  6. Roll your wrists regularly (this will help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome if you spend a lot of time typing).
  7. Notice if you tend to hunch in front of the keyboard. To counter that, perform the following exercise: open your arms wide as if you are going to hug someone, rotate your wrists externally (thumbs going up and back) and pull your shoulders back. This stretch is moving your body the opposite way to being hunched and you should feel a good stretch across your upper chest.
  8. Contract your abdominal and gluteal muscles, hold them there for a few seconds, then release. Repeat this for every few minutes all day long while you are working at your desk.
  9. Stretch your arms, legs, neck and torso while sitting. This will help prevent you from feeling stiff.
  10. Take advantage of the downtime created by rebooting or large file downloads to get up and try something more ambitious such as doing a few push-ups, sit-ups, and/or jumping jacks. Beware of your snickering co-workers though.
  11. Acquire a hand gripper. They are cheap, small and light. When you have to read something either on the screen or on paper, you probably won't be using your hands very often so squeeze your gripper. It is an excellent forearm workout.
  12. Acquire an elastic band (also cheap, small and light) and use it to do the actions mentioned in step 9 (i.e., when stretching your arms, do it by pulling apart the elastic band). You will not only stretch but it will also work the muscles slightly.
  13. Take a few deep breaths. If possible, get some fresh air in your lungs.
  14. Invest in a large size stability ball or stability ball style desk chair, and sit on it with back straight and abs firm. The actual stability ball is more effective, however the chair is a more viable option for use in an office environment. Sit, bounce or do basic toning exercises while watching TV or talking on the phone as well. Use the actual ball form in moderation when typing, as this is probably not the most supportive seating to prevent carpal tunnel and tendonitis.
  15. While sitting, lift up your legs on the balls of your feet and set them down. Repeat these until your legs are comfortably tired. Then repeat it again about 10 minutes later. Do this whole routine for about an hour or so. This will exercise your calves.
  16. Have a bottle of water by your side and make a habit of drinking some every half hour. If you do this consistently you will begin to feel more alert and in the long run you will get thinner.


Tips


  • Set your chair back rest at an angle that is wider than 90°.
  • Don't neglect the health of your eyes! It is detrimental to your eyesight to focus at one thing for long periods of time (i.e. your monitor) so take breaks to look out the window and focus at something at a further distance away to maintain good ocular health. Also consider purchasing an LCD screen which is easier on the eyes. If you are at your computer screen for long periods of time, optometrists recommend following the "20-20-20" rule--For every 20 minutes spent focusing on your computer screen, spend 20 seconds focusing on something else 20 feet away.
  • As long as something is moving, you will be helping to keep yourself in better shape. Constant movement will burn calories and contribute to cardiovascular health. While exercising at your computer is helpful, it is not a substitute for going to the gym or conducting a regular exercise program.
  • Don't sit still. Fidgeting is a good way to keep moving. Even something like tapping your foot. But don't make too much noise--however you fidget, the repetitive noises may bother other people.
  • Always have water nearby to drink.
  • If you're all alone, try shutting off the computer for a bit and exercise. If you're on a cell phone call, get up and do stretches, or leg lifts, anything to keep moving during down time away from the desk.
  • Try exercises that combine opposing muscle groups (flexors and extensors, e.g., biceps and triceps) to get a good workout. Clasp your hands together with palms facing each other. Pull up with one hand while pushing down with the other.
  • If you are a runner or jogger, you can sit on the floor and stretch as you use the computer. It will save you time too if you have to do both anyway.
  • Play music while working to provoke body movement and relieve stress. A smaller instrument will be more convenient.
  • Sit on a balance ball while you are working at your desk. You burn calories stabalizing your core and body on the ball. If this doesn't seem possible for work, replace the desk chair at your computer at home.
  • Perform Kegel exercises while sitting in front of the computer.


Warnings


  • Your body needs more exercise than just what you do at the computer, but following these steps will contribute to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.
  • Some of these activities, if not done in moderation, may cause you to start sweating, which may not be a pleasant sight or odor in an office environment. Keep in mind you are doing these to prevent stiffness, so save the enthusiasm for the gym.
  • Your co-workers are likely to notice the increase in activity in your area. They may laugh at your pushups, situps, or stretches. Just smile, laugh, and enjoy the joke with them. People like it when you can laugh at yourself. It doesn't mean you have to stop doing it--it's your body, not theirs, so let them laugh. Also, if they notice you getting in better shape, they'll stop laughing and may even join in with you!


Related wikiHows





Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Exercise While Sitting at Your Computer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Wednesday 27 February 2008

Upton on Severn Blues Festival - 18, 19 & 20 th July 2008

Have quite a few weekends booked throughout the summer now with our tourer - including a trip to the Upton Blues Festival at Upton on Severn - we were booked to go last year and of course the whole area was under water from the River Severn - which starts not far from where I live here in Mid-Wales!

http://www.uptonbluesfestival.org.uk/ We were there in 2006 - it was blistering hot [check out the photo gallery] and the pubs were doing a roaring trade in both music and beer - and I fell off my bike riding back to the caravan site in pitch-black darkness :(



It's a brilliant event with music for everyone.