Tag: Humor

Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Staycate This Summer

1. One Expects Ones Presence At The Diamond Bash. In case you hadn’t noticed, our dear old Queenie will be celebrating 60 years on the throne next month. Now, before you start, I know what you’re going to say, ‘I couldn’t care less about the Royals. The only purpose they serve is as a honey-trap for nostalgia hungry tourists, desperate to relive the days of old, when the monarchy actually had any power.’ Yes, yes, cutting stuff, Mr Opinions. But think of it this way. The Queen is the second longest serving female monarch in HISTORY OF THE WORLD. If she manages another 3 or so years (which is likely, seeing as she has royally appointed medical care) she’ll overtake Queen Victoria and go down in the history books as an incredibly empowering female figure head. And after all, this will most definitely be the only diamond jubilee any of us will be alive to see.

2. London Hasn’t Hosted The Olympics Since 1948. And after this year, it’ll be a very long time before we get the privilege again. That’s not to say we aren’t doing a splendid job, but the financial implications of such a gargantuan privilege have run up a bill close to £24 billion. Since last summer’s riots tore the soul out of the city, a lot of time and resources have gone into restoring London’s international stage status, which is definitely worth experiencing. From the red swirly statue that looks like a blood clot to the ‘fantasticology’ wildflower meadows that run adjacent to the main stadium, London’s had the mother of all makeovers.

3. The Weather Will Get More Exciting, Honest. It’s been a year of radical weather. From the wettest drought on record to a truly unseasonable May, Brits are crying out for the lustre of an endless summer. We are most certainly overdue a hot one and, as much as I want to use words like ‘heat-wave’ and ‘scorcher’ and ‘BBQ summer,’ I can’t, yet. All I can say is this, with wet droughts and dry winters, something exciting is bound to happen. Worst comes to the worst, you’ll save money on sun cream and still have a fun-filled break at a Great Yarmouth Holiday Park.

4. The European Union Is Going, Going… Who knows what will happen, but there are half a dozen countries on the verge of financial collapse and a couple that have already taken the hit. Visitors to Greece, for example, have been told to expect regular strikes, demonstrations, a general threat of terrorism and tear gas at protests. This, in general, is nothing the UK hasn’t dealt with before (minus the tear gas) but tackling these situations in a foreign country can be very testing and dangerous.

5. Hey Shakey, It’s Your Birthday. Shakespeare is 400 this year, Dickens is 200, Bond is 50 and the world’s greatest food invention, the humble sandwich, is 250 years old. There’s a lot of celebrating to do, and us Brits certainly know how to party. In fact, we’re known for it.

6. No Passports Please, We’re British. You heard it here first. If you’re staying in the country that you live in, you don’t need a passport! Jubilation! Not only that, but you don’t have to bother with flights or packing or connections or foreign languages or delays or sunburn or shark attacks. It’s time to appreciate lovely, safe Britain with its familiar quirks, rich diversity and fantastic holiday parks.

7. Stephen Fry Told You To. ‘Why on earth would anyone want to go abroad in 2012? I mean, there are so many events all around the country…’ Well, if the English Treasure bids it, who I am to say otherwise?

May 19, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Go On Safari

Going on safari should certainly give you plenty to write home about! Here are seven other good reasons to think about booking one.

Photo by prise69

1. Because African Wildlife Is So Much More Interesting Than British Wildlife. Since Sir Ewen of Lochiel slayed the last wolf in Britain in 1680 there has been a distinct lack of interesting animals on British shores. With UK farmers expressing reservations about ideas to re-introduce bears, lynx and wolves to Albion’s countryside, intrepid travellers must go abroad to try and catch glimpses of the beautiful but dangerous wild animals which have roamed the earth since the dawn of mankind.

A glance at television wildlife programmes shows the gulf between the variety and quality of British wildlife compared to that found on an African safari. While shows such as Springwatch concentrates on the nesting progress of chaffinches and Blue Tits, Safari Vet School focusses on lions’, elephants’, rhinos’ and giraffes’ glorious fight for survival.

African wildlife or British wildlife: in terms of variety and exoticism there really is no competition.

2. Safaris Keep You Fit. The TV programme Safari Vet School does paint a slightly distorted picture of how physically taxing an African safari break is – you are unlikely to spend all day chasing lions with tranquilised darts in their body as the young vets did in one episode.

However, a typical safari in Africa will involve lots of healthy activities in the fresh air; walking safaris are particularly popular in this fascinating continent.

And if you want to combine long hikes with relaxing on golden sands then bear in mind that countries like Tanzania offer beach-and-bush holidays.

3. To Brush Up Your Photography Skills. Going on holiday shouldn’t be all about collecting holiday photographs which are more interesting that the ones your friends have displayed on Facebook. But let’s face it, it often is.

Your long-lens photo of a lion staring at you in the Masai Mara is sure to trump those blurred photos of the Eiffel Tower your annoying neighbours have just posted.

4. It’s A Good Excuse To Wear Great Fashions. Safari styles never seem to go out of fashion. While it’s considered a fashion faux-pas to wear animal print accessories when checking in at a safari lodge, khaki clothing and belted bush jackets look as good on safari as they do on the catwalk.

5. You’ve Seen The Film, Now See The Place. Films like Out of Africa and African Queen have put safari culture on the map and showcased the beauty of the African continent. African Queen, which starred Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn, was filmed in Uganda and the Congo. Out of Africa was shot in Kenya. Any places which are part of Hollywood history must be worth visiting.

6. Because The Royals Love Safaris. The British Royal Family has long been a fan of the safari experience. Queen Elizabeth II was staying in a Kenyan treetop safari lodge when she learned that she was to become Queen and her immediate family have all at one time or another gone on safari to escape the stresses of daily court life. Maybe you’ll see a member of the Royal Household through your binoculars when you’re trying to catch a glimpse of wildlife in Africa.

7. To Emulate David Attenborough And Wildlife Cameramen. Just how do cameramen capture extraordinary footage of Big Game in the wild? And why do camera operators never shout out a helpful warning to a creature if it’s being stalked by a predator?

You might well have a better understanding of the qualities needed by cameramen if you go on an African safari. Patience and the ability to stay silent are probably two of the main necessary attributes.

If you’ve got these then you’re ideally qualified to get the most from a safari!

Author Bio: James Christie writes for safari specialists Safari Consultants. Contact Safari Consultants to find out more about tailor-made safaris in Africa.

May 13, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons For Men To Have A Haircut

Photo By David Smith

1. Because Your Mum Tells You To. “If you don’t get a haircut today it’ll be bread and jam for dinner tonight.” Honestly, the way your Mum constantly moans about you having a haircut it would just be easier to shut the old drone up and have it done. No one would know that you’re 37 and left home 20 years ago.

2. To Re-invent Yourself. It’s time for you to completely re-vamp your image and so, armed with a picture of your favourite star which you’ve cut out from the Radio Times, you troop off down to the barbers. Half an hour later you emerge transformed; like a butterfly emerging from the pupa. Checking your reflection in every shop window, car wing mirror and muddy puddle that you pass, you feel reassured that you now look every inch the young rock-star around the town. If this doesn’t impress your fellow co-workers at the all-night garage then nothing will.

3. So You Can Stop Embarrassing Your Friends. If it’s been a while since you’ve had a decent haircut you might notice tell-tale signs of embarrassment among your friend. Perhaps they’ve started walking six paces behind you. Perhaps they now insist on buying you hats or scissors for your birthday/Christmas present. Or perhaps you’ve noticed that you don’t have any friends any more. If any of these signs manifest themselves it could be time to join the 21st century and sort out your barnet.

4. Because People Are Beginning To Mistake You For A Girl. When short-sighted builders start mistaking you for a lady and whistling at you from the scaffolding you know your hair is getting too long. A few savage cuts of the barber’s scissors and the situation is soon remedied. No more sprinting past the builder’s scaffolding for you.

5. Because You’re Lonely. The comforting candy stripes of the barber’s shop pole acts like a beacon of hope for many lonely folk. And no one will ever take as keen an interest in your holiday plans as the man who cuts your hair every month/week/day.

6. Because You’ve Had A Bad Haircut From Someone Else. You’ve been going to the same barber all your life but then you suddenly started to wonder what it would be like to visit another barber. And so you scratched the itch and now, humiliatingly, you find yourself back in your regular barber’s chair asking him to fix a botched haircut. You’ve betrayed him and learned your lesson. And nothing will ever be the same again.

7. Because You’ve Had A Bad Haircut From Yourself. There’s a recession on so you thought you’d save some money by investing in some electric clippers and cutting your own hair. Let’s face it anyone can cut hair can’t they? But you’ll soon discover that ‘cutting your own hair’ is just another one of those exceptions to that ridiculous phrase ‘if you want a thing done well, do it yourself’.

Author Bio: James Christie writes for UK business directory Thomson Local Business Directory. Use Thomson to find hairdressers near you.

May 11, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Should Have Paid More Attention In Art Class

When I was last at school I treated art lessons as a time to let my hair down, muck around and generally play the class fool. I don’t know what the kids must have thought of me – no wonder I didn’t last long as a teacher.

Photo by Blue Monkey

Here are seven good reasons why it really does pay to brush up on your art skills at school.

1. Think Of The Money. There is very good money to be made from art. In 1895, Norwegian artist Edvard Munch knocked up a picture of an alien-type figure holding their head in their hands while screaming on a bridge. He called the picture The Scream and it’s just been sold for $119.9 million (£74 million) at auction.

2. Anyone Can Come Up With A Great Piece Of Art. Looking at The Scream it’s hard to resist the thought that anyone could have drawn it – the figure in the picture is just one step up from a stick man; Munch hasn’t even troubled himself with the task of giving the screaming figure tricky-to-draw details like hair, eyelashes or fingernails. The Scream shows that a very simple, well-executed idea will take you a long way. And makes you lots of dosh too.

3. Making Great Art Can Be Quick. Watching the great children’s TV artists of the 1970s and 1980s go about their work provided a crash-course lesson on how to create great art quickly. Both Rolf Harris and Tony Hart worked at a frightening pace – producing two or three top-notch pieces of work in each half-hour episode. Replicate this work rate over a 9 to 5 working day and you will have lots of interesting art to sell.

4. Art College Is The Modern-Day Fame Academy. Britain has a great tradition of people going to Art College going on to become famous stars. John Lennon of The Beatles, Pete Townshend of The Who and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones were just three of the stars who went to art college to study painting techniques and graphic design. It is worth noting that all of these stars found fame not through painting but through music and that most of the 1960s art colleges have been closed down because of spending cuts but you get the picture.

5. People Love Child Artists. Paying attention during primary school art lessons can pay dividends very quickly as the art world is particularly keen to embrace young talent. Nine-year-old Kieron Williamson is a case in point. The Norfolk lad regularly exhibits his oil, watercolour and pastel originals at exhibitions and has been dubbed ‘Mini Monet’ by chin-stroking art experts. “It’s lovely to see a nine-year-old boy keeping traditional landscape painting alive,” Kieron’s mother Michelle recently said. And there’s clearly a market for it – the youngster’s brilliant paintings fetch as much as £150,000 at auction.

6. Art Is Self-Expression. What other professions allow you to choose your own hours, attract muses and keep a messy office without the boss telling you off? Being an artist is all about expressing your inner soul and letting your creative fires burn freely.

7. Art Opens So Many Doors. And if all else fails you can always become an art teacher.

Author Bio: James Christie writes for Yellow Moon craft supplies shop.

May 10, 2012
Sponsored Post: 7 Reasons It Takes A Watch To Say Sorry

Yeah. You messed up. Big time.

But don’t worry, you’ve found the ultimate relationship advice column from a fat, single American. How do you fix everything? Do what any self-respecting American would do: Buy an expensive imported product for him or her!

Not only do I have a sexy selection of timepieces to choose from, but I’ve got a watch for every specific screw-up. From offending your mother-in-law to skipping out on Sunday dinner with the extended family, there is a watch that will make things all better. So without further ado…

1. Screw-up: You burnt the roast you cooked for his boss coming over for dinner. Solution: The Mondaine Evo Chronograph watch.

OK, so the turkey was slightly drier than Cousin Catherine’s rubberized masterpiece in Christmas Vacation. You know he’ll never retaliate by leaving the burgers on the grill too long with this Swiss chronograph from Mondaine watches.

2. Screw-up: You deleted Project Runway off of your TiVo. Solution: The Wenger Alpine Crystal watch.

Alright, man—she’s not buying that you did it on “accident”, so stop trying to sell it. (We both know it was intentional anyway.) Any fashionista would be proud to sport this blinged-out lavender head-turner on her wrist. Eat your heart out, Heidi.

3. Screw-up: You refused to let him go paintballing for a bachelor party. Solution: The Wenger Standard Issue XL watch.

The only way to make sure he stayed in one piece and could still be the father of your futures kids was to not let him go. Now he refuses to do the yard work to get back at you. Get him this Wenger watch with its steel case and heavy duty strap, and he won’t be able to wait to try out its toughness while cleaning the gutters and re-shingling the roof.

4. Screw-up: You faked an illness to skip the marriage retreat. Then she came home and found you drinking beer, smoking cigars and playing pinochle with your buddies. Solution: The Tense Sandalwood Digital watch.

In your defense, all of the cigar smoke and Guinness did end up making you quite sick. But get her the latest from Tense watches, and she’ll be proud to wrap the all Maple piece around her wrist when you go on the nature hike. At the marriage retreat next weekend.

5. Screw-up: You put his favorite watch through the washing machine and ruined it. Solution: The Casio G-Shock Retro-Vintage watch.

Let’s face it—his old sports watch was grimy and filthy; it needed a good cleaning. How could you possibly be expected to not try and get sparkling again? Get him the brand that everyone who’s anyone in the hip-hop industry is rocking today. This all white G-Shock watch would be fit for the couch or one of Diddy Dirty Money’s white parties.

6. Screw-up: You feel guilty that she just bought you a new white G-Shock. Solution: The Casio Baby-G Multifunction watch.

She gave you such a baller watch that her nasty old leather piece looks awful. So getting her the matching model from Baby-G watches will score you some major points (Just in case you accidentally sell something she loves at your next yard sale).

7. Screw-Up: You accidentally sell something he loves at your next yard sale. Solution: The Fossil Ansel watch.

Hey, it goes both ways. So he’ll never have his old teddy bear, first baseball mitt or birth certificate ever again—he’ll get over it pretty quickly with this classy Fossil watch. It never needs a battery, so it will never stop living—just like your love, even after all of these mishaps.

Author Bio: Post contributed by Barrie on behalf of Watchco.

May 5, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Try Hypnotherapy

‘Celebrity Hypnotists’ and their peddling of hypnosis as a form of entertainment have a lot to answer for. The lack of trust in hypnotherapy as a bona-fide method to treat conditions from depression to weight loss or mothers in child-birth to bed-wetting in those resulting children, is unnecessarily wide-spread and much of this could be put down to too many slap-stick programs and internet clips of people flapping like a birdy, declaring their love for a doggy or regressing to babyhood, sucking on a dummy, dribbling – and worse. Hypnotherapy, founded in the ‘mesmerism’ of the 1800’s and now used as a method for curing conditions that stem from emotional and psychological issues, has also influenced the development of the widely recognised cognitive behavioural therapy, and which employs clinical hypnosis.

Among the many reasons to think about hypnotherapy in a positive less ‘look into my eyes, not around the eyes’way;

1. Spiders Are Cool. They eat the flies which might land on your food after eating poo. You don’t have to be scared of spiders and chase them from your home – spiders are your friends. Hypnotherapy can help with irrational fears and phobias of all kinds in both adults and children.

2. Stuttering Wastes A Lot Of Time. It’s even difficult for a stutterer to say ‘stutter’, which just can’t be fair. Hypnotherapy can help the afflicted find a way around the stuttering and thereby improving confidence which perpetuates a further improvement of the condition.

3. The Extra Weight Is Hard To Lug About Isn’t It? Now be honest, there is a much healthier, thin person under all the blubber who craves far less and who could be uncovered with the help of weight loss hypnotherapy to change eating behaviours . Approaching food and it’s consumption in a different way is better than crash dieting, which doesn’t work anyway; better than gastric bands, which can be painful and lead to digestive problems.

4. Bed-Wetting Is, Like, Soooo First Decade. Actually, you should have stopped this before even reaching your first half-decade. If you have not by then, your parents should be sick of changing wet sheets, as you must have had enough of the crackle of the plastic sheet, so ask them to check out something like The Therapy Lounge hypnotherapy where therapists are used to dealing with wee ones (sorry).

5. Anger Management Is Only Funny In A Film With A Shouty, Sweary American Comedian. Otherwise get a lid on it, keep your cool. Learn techniques through hypnotherapy to control and reroute your anger into more positive feelings.

6. Compulsive Shopping Can Ruin Relationships. Particularly if you have a stingy other half who doesn’t like you spending your own money either. You can’t buy happiness so you can’t keep shopping to find it that way. Hypnotherapy can help you change your behaviour so that you can resist the shops and the internet which has made it all too easy to flex the plastic and spend online.

7. Gloria Gaynor Might Not Be Enough To Make You Believe You Will Survive. Divorce is a very tough process and has a prolonged recovery time. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or Neuro Linguistic Programming, as well as traditional hypnotherapy, could help you overcome the negative emotions that could be overwhelming you, and eventually have you humming along to Gloria with a spring in your step.

April 29, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Get Your Sofa Fixed

There are few things more necessary in your home than a good sofa. Somewhere to socialise, somewhere to relax, somewhere for extra guests to sleep, somewhere for you to sleep yourself when you have fallen asleep in the middle of Newsnight – again, somewhere for you and a loved one to snuggle, somewhere for your visiting nephews to jump all over and smear Easter eggs into.

Here are just seven of the many reasons for you to get your sofa fixed and fit for purpose.

1. You Are Not A Student Any Longer. It might be acceptable, when you are living on beans and super noodles, to have somewhere you don’t care about the spills and stickiness. To have a place where you don’t care that your best mate – the one with his aversion to baths and who’s Mum hasn’t been up to collect the laundry for some time – falls asleep on for the fifth time that week. That time is long gone. Wake up and smell the sofa. Replace the cushions, give it a good clean and put the missing wheel back on.

2. Your Mum Will Moan At You And Think You Can’t Look After Yourself. This is a good thing when it means shepherd’s pie deliveries and the odd bit of dusting and vacuuming. When she is griping over and again about the state of your furniture, it’s boring and avoidable. Get your cushion foam replaced and a new cover and she will sit and chat with you and ask when you are going to let her meet your girlfriend and when you’ll make her a granny. Actually, perhaps it’s better if she just moans about the sofa.

3. It’s Uncomfortable To Idle On A Lumpy Sofa. Idling is important. It’s time to reflect on your life, time to relax and ponder on the universe and all its beings. You can’t do that unless you are sitting pretty or, even better, horizontal on some luxuriously fat cushions.

4. You Need To Have Somewhere For Your Mates To Sit And Watch Football. You can’t have them putting their backside’s through the seat when they flop back down after contesting that all-important penalty or the little celebratory run around the living room. Fix those slats.

5. Springs Through The Bum Ain’t No Fun! Vintage sofa’s may look cool, but springs poking out of old horsehair and straw is a bit of a pain in the arse. Search the internet for reliable upholstery firms or companies like Cutfoam offering foam cut to size that you can cover up those springs and bare bots that leave you bruised.

6. You Can’t Make A Den With Flat, Floppy Cushions. Those visiting nephews will take a lot more intensive looking after and effort on your part if you don’t have some solid kit – and that includes some good stiff sofa cushions that can be propped up against the back to make a den/battle ship/castle. When they’ve finished playing, you can sit them down on the very same sofa to watch a bit of kid’s tv. Trust me, you will want to delay this as long as possible. Fix the cushions.

7. No Woman Will Snuggle With You On A Crappy Sofa. You need a sofa that smells good, that is sif enough to schlompf into, and that is wide enough for you both to fit, but not wide enough that you aren’t pretty close together. Removable back cushions help with creating enough space to lie down for a good old nuzzle.

Enjoy!

April 28, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons To Still Visit Greece

It might be beset by strikes and economic problems but it’s still a great place to visit. Here’s why…

The Acropolis: It will be nice when it’s finished. Photo by Dan Cross.

1. It’s Cheap. It is terrible to think of Greek people struggling with lower wages and higher prices but there are some fantastic holiday offers for Britons to take advantage of by visiting Greece. Some tour operators are cutting the price of Greek holidays by up to 60 per cent. This effectively means that you can get two holidays for the price of one – if you can find anyone to travel with you.

2. Citizen Journalism Opportunities. With strikes and protests common on the streets of Athens there are plenty of fantastic opportunities for British citizen journalists to cut their teeth by recording some great front-line footage. A quick look at internet forums show that many Greek people think that reports of anarchy in their country have been greatly exaggerated. Are they right? There’s only one way of finding out…

3. To Annoy William Hague. British Foreign Secretary William Hague clearly isn’t keen on Britons travelling to Greece. In February he incurred the wrath of tour operators by announcing plans to evacuate Britons from Greece in the event of major civil unrest. Britons have never liked being told what to do and, just like Bluebeard telling his wives that they must never enter his forbidden room, discouraging us from going somewhere just excites our determination to do just that.

4. To Support Our Fellow European Nations. Even a cursory glance at the film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin shows us just how much the Greek people suffered during the Second World War. Now is the time to join together and support a fellow European nation in their hour of need.

5. To Annoy The Germans. The Germans are clearly not happy about bailing out the Greeks. Expressing support for Greece – by visiting their beautiful country – could well provoke the ire of a nation with which it has a troubled relationship (again, see Captain Correlli’s Mandolin).

6. To See Sights Of Great Sporting Importance. Greece is the cradle of sporting civilisation – this is where the Olympics began many moons ago. So British sports fans should feel very at home when visiting the ancient crumbling sites where Greek gladiators fought for their livelihood.

7. To Escape The Olympic Hype. Alternatively, if you’re a Briton who is not keen on sport and wants to escape the Olympic hype this summer then Greece is just the place to visit. Touring the ancient crumbling remains of the country offers the perfect escape route and might afford a frightening glimpse of what London’s Olympic Stadium could look like in a few years’ time!

Author Bio: James Christie writes for airport parking and hotel provider BookFHR. If you’re travelling to Greece, do so in style by booking a hotel near Gatwick for the night before your flight.

April 27, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Need Bird Proofing

Pigeons. Seagulls. Rooks. Seagulls. There are many species of birds that cause a real nuisance – from squawks and screeches these birds create an awful amount of mess, ruin roofs and can be incredibly aggressive too. To deal with these pesky pests you may need to invest in a bit of bird proofing. Here’s seven reasons why.

The flock gathered to watch their next victim

1. Pigeons Are Rats With Wings. Let’s face it, no-one loves pigeons. Especially city-dwelling pigeons. They multiply at an amazing rate, they get into roof spaces when roosting and structurally damage buildings with their copious amounts of mess. Throw in the feathers they leave behind everywhere and

2. Rooks Are Noisy. If you live in the country, you’ll know all about rooks. They are very sociable birds and form nests high in treetops and they can number hundreds, if not thousands at a time – as such the noise is terrible! From as early as 4am these birds can cause a real racket – if you’re a country retreat or hotel you’ll know about it from the amount of complaints you’ll get!

3. Seagulls Are Aggressive. Oh I don’t like to be beside the seaside! Ever been for a nice walk on the beach or pier and had your fish and chip lunch ruined by aggressive seagulls? They cause a real headache for seaside businesses through their mess – and they can be pretty scary too! They are very territorial birds – get near their nest and you’ll know about it. Plus they can spread salmonella. Yuck.

4. Starlings Anger Gardeners. If you’ve got green fingers, the starling is your main enemy. These birds eat grubs, grains and seeds and will happily chomp away at your green shoots. Plus if that wasn’t bad enough their droppings can cause real problems – they carry a fungal respiratory disease that grows in soil, so if you’re growing fruit and veg you can really make your family ill.

5. Canada Geese Scare Pilots. Canada Geese are not only noisy, opportunistic feeders, they flock together. If you’re a pilot – you are scared of these birds. They flock together and if they get sucked into a plane’s jet engine…well the consequences are unthinkable.

6. Bird Proofing Isn’t Expensive. Believe it or not, bird proofing solutions aren’t expensive. They can range from putting up simple bird netting and bird spikes, to things like electrical deterrents and wire deterrent systems. Contact your local pest control company who will often carry out a free survey to see what you need!

7. Hawking Is Cool. We’re going to say it – hawking is cool. It’s probably the most expensive bird control solution, but it pits nature against nature. Hawks convince gulls and pigeons that there is a real threat in their nesting area, which makes those pesky birds scarper. Watching these beautiful birds fly up and scare away pigeons and gulls is a sight to behold.

So there you have it. Seven simple reasons you need bird proofing if you’ve got problem birds. For more information, check out www.nbcbirdandpest.co.uk.

April 20, 2012
Guest Post: 7 Reasons You Run Out Of Money Every Month

It’s getting harder to save money for your future with the euro being inflated every year. However, there are some things that are completely within your control. Before you complain about how expensive everything seems to be getting these days, check your ego at the door and make sure you’re not committing these seven deadly spending sins.

1. You’re Shopping Way Too Much. Shopping is fun. Heck, what girl doesn’t like a new dress or pair of shoes? Shopping sprees aren’t just a female problem either. Men can get carried away on designer stuff too. If you have a shopping addiction, try putting away the credit card for a few days. If you still think you need a new pair of pants or a shirt, then consider visiting a charity shop – especially if you’re hooked on ModCloth.com offerings. You might be able to find some nice vintage stuff for much less than what you’ll pay retail.

2. You Drink So Much Coffee, Your Blood Is Now At Least 50 Percent Caffeine. Coffee can be addictive, and Starbucks is a pretty popular place, but there’s no need to go there three times a day. Even once a day gets expensive. If you need your coffee fix in the morning consider getting a pour over kit. The initial cost of manual pour over equipment pales in comparison to what it will save you over time. If you spend £2.60 every day on coffee, you will benefit from getting manual pour over equipment. In one month you’ll spend enough on Starbucks to buy yourself a decent filtercone holder, some nice filters, and some decent coffee. Two month’s worth of coffee will get you an excellent coffee grinder.

The benefit? The learning curve is not very steep, it takes just as long to stand in line as it does to make your own coffee at home, and a manual pour over results in a stronger and better cup of coffee than what most retail places will sell you.

3. Those Late Night ATM Runs – You Know The Ones. Are you a night owl? Do you spend a lot of time at clubs, pubs, and after-hours parties? Going to the ATM to reload your wallet with cash takes its toll. There’s no easy solution to this problem other than taking it easy on the partying. Staying home and reading a book might not sound like much fun, but your bank account will thank you.

4. You Are Paying For More Channels Than You Can Possibly Watch. There’s nothing wrong with having cable T.V. In fact, it might add to your life in some way. However, there comes a point when enough is enough. If you’re paying for so many channels that you can never possibly watch all of them, it may be time to rethink your service plan. If you ever find yourself turning on your T.V. and thinking “oh wow, I didn’t even know I had this channel,” then it might be time to consider going with a cheaper package or perhaps cutting your cable down to the bare minimum.

5. You Eat Out So Often, You Haven’t Seen The Inside Of Your Fridge In Three Weeks. Eating out once in a while is fun. You don’t have to do the dishes, and you can usually get something that you find difficult or impossible to prepare yourself at home. However, if you’ve forgotten what the inside of your refrigerator looks like, or if the food in there has started to look more like a science experiment than leftovers because of all of the mold, then consider making more meals at home. Staying in has a wonderful positive effect on your bank account.

6. You Spend More Time On Your Hobbies Than You Do Working At Your Paying Job. Having hobbies allows you to stay active when you’re not working. However, when you spend more time on your hobbies than you do working at your “day job,” there’s something wrong. Maybe you should make your hobby your new job (by starting a business oriented around it) or find a new job that allows you to earn money from doing whatever it is you really love doing.

7. The Only Time You Step Foot On A Sidewalk Is To Get To Your Car. Automobiles allow us to get where we want to go faster than we ever could by walking. However, there’s a benefit to walking: it’s cheaper and allows us to get exercise. Consider walking or biking to work, if you live close enough.

Guest post written by Elizabeth Goldman and brought to you by Wonga – the short term loan experts.

March 28, 2012