Scottie James Grainger

We had a glorious weekend this weekend and I decided that we should get our new barbeque out to celebrate seen as the weathers going to change this week.

Our new barbeque is a Weber Smokey Joe® which I bought about three weeks ago, but yesterday was the first time I had a chance to use it. This mini barbeque is great for us as we do a lot of camping and this one fits effortlessly in the back of the car.

Putting the barbeque together was easy and only took about 10 minutes, and then I filled it with coals and lit it, easy!

After about 20 minutes it was ready to cook on and although this is the smallest Weber barbeque it still has ample room to put enough food on for a family, and I have to admit that I do love a barbeque in the summer.

If you’re in the market for a small barbeque, then I would highly recommend the Weber Smokey Joe®, it has the iconic looks of the Weber brand and cooks better than any other barbeque I’ve ever owned.

Preparing work for studies can be a daunting prospect for students of any age who are tackling any subject, whether it be a GCSE in English, a music theory exam or a degree in physics or any other level of studies or subjects. The internet can provide students all over the United Kingdom with resources, help, advice and support through what can be quite a stressful time. With so much expectation on their shoulders, students can sometimes find this period of studying quite difficult so it is a good idea for them to take advantage of some of the many services that are on offer.

Certain websites offer essays to read which have been written by and marked by teachers and can give new students a very good idea of what will be expected of them in their work. They can not only help the student to understand better how to set out their work, but are also another mode of studying as they are genuine, information packed articles which will educate the student.

Students can see past essays which have been critiqued to show the pitfalls which can easily be fallen into, highlighting scenarios to avoid, making sure that the student is reminded to keep on the subject they are studying and not waste precious time going off at a tangent and talking about unnecessary things. There are also proofreading and editing services on offer so that the final result is as polished and well written as it possibly can be.

I’ve been looking at getting a tablet for a while now and have always looked at the iPad as being an expensive product compared to what you get from other manufactures, but I have to say that the new iPad genuinely has me interested.

Most of the innards have been upgraded including a quad-core A5X processor, a better Retina screen and up to 64GB of internal memory.

In addition to the beefed up specs the iPad also has access to the iCloud and App Store where you can download just about anything you can imagine.

I was hoping that Samsung or one of the other manufacturers would release a decent competitor to the iPad, but I think that Apple has it right this year and can’t see anything coming close to the new iPad.

Will I buy the new iPad? I’m really tempted, but it is still a lot of money and I’m really not sure that I’d get enough use out of it.

The Sky+ app for Android and iPhone is a must for any Sky customer and allow you to check TV listings and record your favourite programs all through your phone.

I use this app quite a lot when I’m at work when my colleagues are talking about what programs they watched or are coming soon. I do a quick search and the app will show the listings for the next seven days and if I fancy watching it, I just click on record and it records to my Sky box at home when it’s on.

This app is also good if you’re out and about as you often see adverts, whether you’re shopping or having a few beers in the pub and by the time you get home you’ve forgotten what it was. With this app you’re just a couple of clicks away from recording it.

Obviously I would love to have Sky Go app on my Android phone but my LG Optimus 3D isn’t compatible at the moment, so the Sky+ app will have to do for now.

I like to smoke and I like new and novel smoking devices, so when I came across the Plenty Handheld vaporizer on the Shiva Head Shop I had to take a closer look. Made by the same people that brought you the Volcano Vaporizer, this new device has a lot to live up to.

The Plenty Vaporizer is compact and lightweight, making it a great choice for those who are constantly on the move, and is powerful enough to get the job done. This vaporizer seems really easy to use, simply plug it in, fill it up with your chosen herbs and your away.

The Plenty Handheld Vaporizer has a temperature control which can be set between 130°c and 202°c and comes with a three year manufacturer’s guarantee.

I’m really interested in this vaporizer, as I’ve been dreaming of getting the Volcano Vaporizer for some time, but I think this device might better suit me because of its compactness and ease of use.

If only I had some money!

T-shirt printing at home is a great way to create individual designs, express yourself and save money.  It is relatively easy provided that you have the right equipment.  The potential for T-shirt designing is endless – individuals can create decorative one-off T-shirts, T-shirts for sports teams or other small groups of people, or T-shirts that will mark special occasions.  T-shirt printing at home is also a great way to create individualized gifts.

One method that is available for T-shirt printing at home is stencilling, using special inks.  This can be fun, but it can also be very time consuming.

Another, less time consuming, method is screen printing.  This method requires screen printing fabric ink (ensure that your chosen ink is washable), a screen (which can be bought readymade, or can be made by stretching mesh over a cheap canvas stretcher frame and stapling it so that it is taut), a squeegee, plain paper, a craft knife, masking tape, and a basic cotton T-shirt.  This method offers a fairly good value for money as the equipment can be used again and again.

It is also possible to print T-shirts using transfers.  Special transfer paper for inkjet printers can be purchased from computer or craft shops.  The design can be printed on the paper, and then applied to the T-shirt using a heat press such as an iron.  This is an effective method for transferring images such as full colour photographs.  However, the transfer paper can be quite expensive, and eventually the transfer may wear out or crack.

A gravel path can make a big improvement to a garden, creating a sense of order and preventing your lawn being churned up and mud being trampled into the house. Although fairly physically demanding, laying a gravel path is not difficult and can be fairly cheap too. The only tools you will need are a spade and a sledgehammer.

First, mark out the outline of the path with the help of string, sand or an aerosol. Then dig out the length of the path to a depth of around 10-15cm. Hammer in some edging on both sides of the path – this can be timber, brick or a flexible product for curved paths – and tread down the bottom of the trench to make a solid base.

You can then fill in the base layer of the path, usually with hardcore and coarse gravel, to about half the depth of the trench. For extra protection against weeds, you may want to spread weedkiller or lay plastic sheeting down under the base layer.

Cover this with sand and make sure that you have an even base on which to lay your topcoat of gravel. This can be anything from granite chippings to pea gravel to beach pebbles, and there are many sizes and colours to choose from. Fill the path up to just below the level of the edging so that the gravel doesn’t overflow. You should now have a lovely new gravel path that will last for many years.

Selling your car can be quite a daunting task, when first contemplated. However, due to the many websites on the internet that provide informative, accurate and reliable information, selling your used car has never been easier.

Finding a car valuation is easy on the internet, and there are even websites that will give you a quote and instantly buy your car. They will then arrange to pick your car up at a convenient time for you. This is a stress free and easy way to sell your used car. However, if you wish to sell your car privately, to a dealer or at an auction, there are still websites on the internet which will help you to promote, advertise and sell your car in a manner which is reliable, informative and will command the respect of buyers. Making prospective customers feel comfortable and relaxed about the whole transaction will make selling your car much easier; as much information as you can provide about your car, such as service history, MOT information, accurate mileage, lots of pictures and an accurate description of the car, both inside and out, will ensure good interest in your car.

There are websites on the internet where you can advertise your car. There are even online auctions where selling your car is made easy, most of these online selling websites offer step by step instructions to make the whole process easier. If, however, you decide to sell privately, you can still get advice on the internet about the best ways to market your car. Selling to a trader is another option that can be explored.

In whatever manner you decide to sell your car, it is a comfort to know that all the resources and information that you need is at your fingertips on the internet.

Whilst I was sleepily wandering about the kitchen this morning making tea and getting things ready for breakfast before I drove to work, an item on the radio programme caught my attention. The item was about taking exercise and during it the presenter suggested that you need only take 3 minutes a week of intensive exercise, now that certainly caught my attention!

The claim seems pretty outrageous, but it is apparently supported by many years of research done in a number of different countries including the UK. It is claimed that according to the research, a few relatively short bursts of intense exercise, amounting to only a few minutes a week, can deliver many of the health and fitness benefits of hours of conventional exercise. The principal is that you use an exercise bike and warm up by doing gentle cycling for a couple of minutes, then go flat out for 20 seconds and then stop. This is repeated after you have rested and got your breath back then it’s another full throttle pedalling, more rest and then a final 20 second burst, that is it!

According to the presenter, you are using far more of your muscle tissue than classic aerobic exercise, you are using not just the leg muscles, but also the upper body including arms and shoulders, so that 80% of the body’s muscle cells are activated, compared to 20-40% for walking or moderate intensity jogging or cycling. Well I’m not sure and I certainly will not undertake it before I have a word with my doctor first.

As you would have read in one of my earlier posts, me and my wife went to Paris last week and it was a great holiday. I have been to Paris before (mainly with work), but my wife hadn’t so we did the usual tourist stuff like The Louvre and Eiffel Tower.

We also walked down the Champs-Élysées, but we didn’t buy much. If you’re ever thinking of going to Paris, using the Metro system is a must for getting around. You can buy 1,3 or 5 day passes and get a handy map of all of the metro and rail lines. Getting around is easy as everything is colour coded and numbered and there is literally a Metro station on every corner.

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the Père Lachaise Cemetery, a place where I wouldn’t necessarily gone, but my wife wanted to. This cemetery is set in 100 acres of land in Paris and houses some of the most famous bodies in the world including Oscar Wilde and Jim Morrison. There are truly some great pictures to be taken there and I’d thoroughly recommend it.

The hotel was also nice, situated near the Eiffel Tower we had great views of the iron beast from our window and the staff were really nice too, answering all of our questions.

The one thing I would say is that Paris on the whole is expensive, much like London here in the UK, so if you’re planning to visit Paris make sure you save up.

I’d definitely go back to Paris again as we still have much more to see, so we’ll be saving up again soon.