From Tiny Pennies.

It’s been nearly five years since I bought my first static caravan and to be honest, the shine started to wear off last year when I upgraded (I will explain more about that later) and I have now decided that it is now time to sell up. I was so excited when I signed the paperwork in August 2019 and got handed the keys, I was going to enjoy so many weeks and weekends away either by myself or with…

I have decided to close my blog, I set it up six years ago after following several bloggers and liking the fact that they were all promoting how easy it was to blog and make a few pounds (or more) each month in extra income – this was before the term ‘side hustle’ was coined.  At the time I could have done with some extra income to supplement the wages I was bringing home. The blog started as a…

After my previous poor experience, I said I would not attend another ghost hunt, but then one was advertised just 20 minutes down the road from where I live.  It was cheaper than my last hunt, there was no need for a hotel and no sitting on motorways for hours. And I am so glad I went, it was a completely different event to Shrewsbury. This one was at Guy’s Cliffe House, you can read about it…

I’ve been overweight/fat/obese all my life.  My medical records tell me that I was born obese (I was 9lbs 6oz and 26 inches long, people thought I was a 6-month-old baby when I came out of the hospital).  I think I first signed up for a diet scheme when I was about 20 and I have been unsuccessfully dieting ever since.  I did lose two and a half stones once, more of that later, but that has been…

My Fantasy Casting for Carry On Discworld

Fueled by a recent discussion on Twitter, a bit of a Carry On marathon (currently watching my favourite – Carry On At Your Convenience) and a few brandy & babychams I have decided to put my thoughts to paper, or laptop screen rather, with regards to a Carry On Discworld cast. For a long time, whenever I have read, re-read, or re-re-read any of the books starring Sam Vimes I have read his lines…

I went on a Ghost Hunt at HMP Shrewsbury

I have always been interested in ghosts, spirits and the paranormal and a few weeks ago I finally got the chance to go on an organised ghost hunt. It was at HMP Shrewsbury which was a Category B/C men’s prison, decommissioned in March 2013 it is now open to the public.  The prison that can be seen today sits on top of the original Georgian prison, the remains of which are still accessible…

TopCashback Xmas Treats Giveaway 2021

Here are the daily clues and answers for TopCashback Christmas Treats 2021 – find those pesky hummingbirds to get instant-win cash prizes in the run-up to Christmas. TopCashback Christmas Treats Giveaway is back for another year with your chance to win £1,000 cash, plus over 90,000 instant win cash prizes. It’s really easy to play and win; you just need a TopCashback account (and work out the…

Why not try a Haven holiday next year?

Well, everybody, we have made it to that no-man’s land that is the period between Christmas and New Year.  Normally I would be at work but I have so much annual leave still to take this year due to working in the NHS and everything that has happened that I have booked a bit of time off. I know that traditionally people’s thoughts start turning to holidays around now, especially with the terrible…

A playlist for today.

Well, Boris Johnson has pretty much cancelled what was left of Christmas.  London and the South East are now in Tier 4 (is this three-tier system like the Hitchhiker’s Trilogy of five books?).  A new variant, viruses mutate, there is nothing unusual about that, was discovered in September but it’s only now, 3 months later that the powers that be seem to be concerned about it. I don’t agree with…

Let’s be honest, its not been the best year.  And now the weather has taken a turn for the worse I think we all could do with thinking about a break in the sunshine, ok this is the UK, so sunshine cannot be guaranteed.Everyone’s got cabin fever –and it’s time to trade it in for fresh air, the great outdoors, and some brilliant Haven beachside fun. Plus, booking with us is completely risk-free thanks to the Coronavirus Book with Confidence Guarantee. So head on holiday where the coast is right on your doorstep and beach strolls are your new normal.

Haven spent a lot of money on updating the sites and facilities, it is such a shame that few people have been able to use them this year.

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Get ready for fun and don’t miss out on a brilliant UK escape.

Advanced Booking key messages –  Price Promise – Our price promise means you won’t pay more

If you see your 2021 holiday at a lower price later, we’ll give you the difference back

Low Deposit – Secure your 2021 break with a low deposit from £30

Monthly payment – No need to pay for everything now. Our monthly payment plan lets you spread the cost of your holiday

Coronavirus Book with Confidence Guarantee – All our breaks are covered by our Coronavirus Book with Confidence Guarantee –  https://www.haven.com/coronavirus-guarantee.  Our Book with Confidence Guarantee means you can book your holiday knowing you’re covered if Coronavirus interrupts your plans

I looked online and there are so many videos out there with the supplies needed so cheap.  After making two I can now see why they are so expensive – time!  I’m just making them for me rather than to sell, mine have taken about 6 hours each.  What really takes the time is colouring the pins.  If I were to make any more I would get a large board of something to stick the pins in before I paint them.  I know that it takes around 300 pins to cover a small egg, about 10 cms, so if I paint them all in one go I only need to wait for them to dry once.

What I Used

This is a small polystyrene egg shape from HobbyCraft, the pack of 300 drawing pins are from there too.  The nail polish (to colour the pins) is from Boots – these are both Barry M, the dark green for the base coat is Evergreen and the lighter one for the second coat is Sea Turtle, which is a colour changer, this will become obvious later.  I am using a small votive candle holder to hold the egg.

How I did it.

You do need something to stick the pins into whilst you paint them, I used an old padded envelope with some extra paper inside to thicken it a little.  To begin with, I just stuck the pins straight in it but after the second or third go around I covered it in greaseproof paper so that it could be reused.

I did one coat of the dark green and when that dried I added a coat of the light green.

It doesn’t need to be neat like it does when you do your nails, you need the texture to give more of a scaly look.

You can see already that the colour is changing, I was not expecting green on green to give a lilacy colour.

When the pins are dry you can start sticking them into the egg.  You will see that there is a small indentation at the top of the shape and a slightly larger one at the bottom, put a pin in the centre of each of these, the one at the top is the start, the one at the bottom is so the bottom is covered if you try and put that one in at the end, unless it has a really long pin, it will not stay in.

Start adding pins from the top in a spiral pattern, it will look scruffy to being with but it will tidy up. Make sure each pin slightly overlaps the one at the side and the one above.

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Keep going until all the egg is covered.  Give the egg a couple of squeezes to make sure all the pins are secure and there is your very own Dragon Egg.

The bronze coloured egg is two coats of Pink Luxe nail varnish on brass coloured pins, and the other is the dark green/light green varnish on white metal pins.  It’s not looking lilac in this picture but it still not looking green.

I’ve still got pins and eggs left so I will be trying some more combinations of colour.

Books I Am Currently Reading Just Don’t Feel Real

I have been reading a lot of books recently, I have always read a fair bit but recently I have started reading A LOT.

Nothing heavy, just the sort of book that I would normally take on holiday to read on the beach, Chick Lit for the want of a better term, but a few things are starting to bug me.

In one book the main character is a woman with a young son who has just run away from her partner due…

A Few Questions I Currently Have About Coronavirus

I struggle sometimes to understand how people feel about things and why they get upset about things which do not directly affect them, now whether you want to see this as a mental illness, selfishness or narcissism feel free, it is just how I am made up. I am currently really struggling to understand some of the reactions to the coronavirus. This is not an exhaustive list.

Why is the social…

My Thoughts on the Next Moves.

So we have been in lockdown for several weeks now and whether you have spent that time shielding, furloughed, working from home or going into work as normal, we are all getting a bit fed up.  There are thoughts that Boris will announce the loosening of the current restrictions tomorrow when he addresses the nation and there has been speculation in the media about what this could be.

Here are my…

Let Me Get A Few Things Straight

I am not going to mention the ‘C’ word because quite frankly I am sick of hearing about it. However, I do want to get a few things straight with regard to NHS staff and their current presumed avalanche of freebies and discounts.

When I have been in shops I have heard mutterings of ‘oh NHS staff get everything, free this, free that etc’, well take it from an NHS staff member, we don’t.

I find out…

Dear Professional Footballers Association.

I understand that this is a trying time for many of us and something that we have never experienced before but for clubs to have to furlough non-playing staff whilst ensuring that your players continue to receive their extortionate wage bill is ridiculous.

The English Football League (EFL) wants your players to take a 30% salary cut in order to protect…

OK, so last day of annual leave today, back to work tomorrow so I guess that means I have to have a shower. And whilst this week wasn’t the week I envisaged when I booked the time off 6 months ago or so, I had intended to open the caravan up for the year, I have had one of the best holidays ever.

I am not trying to belittle the situation we currently find ourselves in, I personally know people…