saskatchewanwildnature

With a past in drama and a lifelong Xena; Warrior Princess fan, I've long had a yen to visit Greece and this summer we finally made it, during August; the hottest possible time of the year! Oh, how would my English Rose, British constitution cope with the heat of Rhodes....? We were on the Western side of the Island, near the tip of the spear head in Ixia; not the most cultural area but only a cock-stride to Rhodes town where you'll find culture and history on every corner. The enduring symbol of Rhodes you'll see everywhere (from magnets to tea towels!)  is, of course, the colossus; a giant bronze statue of an Adonis-like warrior standing astride the harbour, Game of Thrones style, as visitors sail between the legs into the city. In actual fact the colossus stood next to the harbour in a Statue of Liberty type pose - without the dress! Although an earthquake destroyed the ancient wonder centuries ago, the harbour is still beautiful and in the same place as its ancient ...

Over the years I've dipped in and out of various fitness routines but one thing remained the same - boredom and lack of effort, which has never resulted in Cameron Diaz-like arms. Recently, I've been mixing Blogilates and T25 to build my own, manageable workout programme... Come back to read my full guide to/review of T25 I started with a goal to workout 3 times a week at home in addition to 1 dance class. I created a ticksheet and added 5 short toning sessions too (just a few sets of squats, crunches and weightless arm exercises before bed). I really committed to it but, more importantly, kept it manageable and doable. When it's workout time I choose whatever workouts I please from T25 and the Blogilates YouTube channel and I've started seeing encouraging results! My 3 workout sessions; * T25 cardio/speed x2 * Blogilates upto 30 minutes x1 * Blogilates Roar ab workout at the start of every session (around 4 minutes) I throw in an extra one only if I feel like ...

It's a long dark journey from Autumn to Spring in the UK, but over the last couple of weeks we've been lucky enough to hold on to the sun's last rays until after we've braved the rush hour home. Spring is coming, it'll be here before you know it! In celebration of March, here are some cheery, spring time Instagram photos from my account, @PromisingYellow. . . Are you also yearning for spring? Last month was Valentine's Day and boyfriend followed my not so subtle hints to buy me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers. It makes such a difference to a room and they've brough so much colour and cheer to my kitchen. ^__^ ...and in turn I baked boyfriend a d basket of goodies! Scones, shortbread, jam filled biscuits, oatie hearts and chocolate shortbread - delish! A snap from the very end of last summer during doggie walking time. Beautiful white wild flowers (possibly meadowsweet?) in the sunshine. RAINBOW!! - one of the few good things about dark, dreary, wet wea...

Christmas is HERE and in the spirit of all things fun and festive here is a look at some of the Dos and Don't of gift giving!! Some of these are useful, some are tongue-in-cheek - do you have any Dos and Don'ts? ...And if you're having trouble finding those last minute gifts in time, check out this list of 17 Gifts When You're Stuck For Ideas. Do give something they'll use up - check out this list for lots of great ideas  - candles, hot chocolate, bath treats, baked goodies etc Don't become their decorator - ornaments, paintings and nik naks are very personal matters of taste, don't buy unless you're sure! Do choose easy pieces- the exceptions to the above rule are scented candles and photo frames - just don't make the frame too big!   Don't try to 'change their mind' - if they're very vocal about something they dislike, don't think 'oh but they'll like this one!' they wont - case in point, someone once bought me...

Chocolate and Brazil nuts - what could be easier. cheaper to make and yummier?! My family loves chocolate Brazils at Christmas time but for some reason they're pretty expensive these days. Luckily, home-made treats are always appreciated so grab your apron and let's create! Don't forget to also check out my list of Christmas gift ideas - 17 Christmas gifts when you're stuck for ideas and improve your hot chocolate with this post; Chocolatey, spicy, nutty or sweet? Pic n mix your own hot cocoa from scratch!     You will need...  Chocolate, about 100g-150g depending on size - whatever kind you like, you don't need cooking chocolate and it doesn't need to be fancy, the European brands from Aldi and Lidl are good choices as they have a mild nutty flavour like Ritter's 'Alpine Chocolate'. Brazil nuts - we like a whole brazil nut in the middle but you can usually buy "brazil nut halves" slightly cheaper if you prefer A cake pop tray - ...

If you're buying Christmas gifts for someone you don't know too well or you're buying for a friend who always leaves you clueless, there are a few simple tips which will make your gift buying so much easier. From homemade treats to feeding the meerkats - here are 17 ideas/tips when you're doing your last minute Christmas shopping or just plain...stuck!  ***Buy Something They Can Use*** The first, and most important tip for me - give them something they can enjoy using and then dispose of; 1.) Scented candles - a winner with everyone, men and women, old and young. You can also theme it depending on their likes/dislikes; cappuccino for the coffee lovers, Christmas cookies for the sweetie lovers, chocolate for the chocaholics, fruity for the young and summertime lovers, spicy cinnamon or jasmine for the romantic couples or stay safe with a clean cotton, linen type scent.   2.) Fancy hot chocolate - We're talking Green & Blacks , some overpriced Whittards or ...

Biathlon; cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It's an exciting sport; it can all change on one missed shot , racers dance past each other up hills steeper than stair cases . There are mountains, snow and beautiful forests of firs . Although I've never actually skied on real snow, I'm addicted to it - this is the exciting world of Biathlon. The season runs from November to around March with world championships as the highlight. It's the perfect Christmas sport! Little Christmas trees are sprinkled around the courses, the crowds are bundled up in woolly hats and scarves, the huge fir trees are weighed down by heavy snowfall and each venue is surrounded by dramatic mountain ranges. Sometimes the snow is falling during the race - a great sport to watch with a cup of hot chocolate! The biathlon tour moves weekly to venues especially created and prepared months in advance for the races. Whilst there, 4 types of races selected from a possible 6 will be held. Skiers ...