Our cat may lack a tail following a childhood accident and likes to bring us unwanted presents on a regular basis, but she is our little bundle of joy and is part of the family. We don't often blog about our pets and trust me we have a few but like any member of the family, it is just as scary when she gets injured or sick, especially as cats often hide their injuries and attempt to deal with them on their own. According to pet specialists James Wellbeloved, there are a whole host of injuries that commonly afflict cats, from broken bones and insect stings to kidney failure and tooth disease. One of the most vulnerable areas to injury for any cat is their eyes. This is hardly surprising when you think about how often they run through bushes with sharp branches or stick their nose in a bed of thorny flowers to have a good smell.

Our cat was recently diagnosed with conjunctivitis, which is the inflammation of the lining on and around the eye. The white of the eye turns red and is quite uncomfortable for your cat, so, even if they do their best to put on a brave face, you can usually tell something is wrong if they are winking, struggling to open an eye, or have discharge around the eye. You may also notice the eye begins to swell.

Sometimes the cause is easy to spot, especially if it is by a foreign object or irritant still in the eye, or a particularly nasty puncture. However, some scratches can be too small to detect, and invisible bacteria or fungi are also to blame. If you can catch the problem early enough before it does further damage, your vet will probably treat the injury by washing the eye out with a clean solution and monitoring the healing process. Unfortunately, causes can also be viral and seemingly unrelated, including being a symptom of upper respiratory illness, so indoor cats are also at risk. For viral causes, your cat will need a course of antibiotics.

Conjunctivitis is the most common eye injury in cats because it has so many differing causes. However, owners should also keep a look out for other frequently occurring eye injuries.

* A cloudy, milky eye lens is a clear indicator of a cataract and causes impaired vision;

* Excessive eye rubbing and squinting is a sign of pain and may mean your cat has glaucoma — a build up of pressure in the eye;

* A nasty fall, bump or fight can even result in cats’ eyes protruding from the socket.

Whatever the symptoms, eyes are delicate and need to be treated with care, so you should see your vet for the best advice for how to treat your cat.

Just remember, like our children, we can’t always keep our cats from injuring themselves (as much as we would like to!). So, instead of wrapping them up in cotton wool all their life, make it a habit to keep a close watch on your cat, have regular bonding time, and always check their eyes for anything unusual.

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The summer holidays are almost over and it seems like everywhere you look there are "back to school" signs up in the shops. 

It is interesting to think that parents might be battling the stress and soaring cost of back-to-school shopping by hunting for loose change down the back of the sofa … and borrowing from their own children. A Coinstar Back-to-School survey among UK parents showed 65% of British mums and dads say they find the process of shopping for new school kit stressful - and expect to spend an average of £328 per child to return to school. 

We may not be looking for coins down the back of the sofa but having a teenager with a stationery habit, we need to look for the best (and long lasting) stationery products to go back to school with, so her is her essential Back To School Stationery Checklist! 

Highlighters

This is the top choice. Forget essentials like pens and pencils, our teenager is a big fan of a higlighter as apparently it makes her work much more interesting. The Stabilo pastel shade highlighters are a particular favourite and are available from most retailers.They also do a super cute mini pastellove set for £8.78.

Pens

This might sound silly but buying a pen is apparently no easy task. The teen is extremely specific about the type of pen she likes and the colour it has to be. I am quite sure that we have pens in every colour available (you can tell that she likes to be expressive in her workbooks). The Stabilo range of writing pens have a variety for her to choose from (lucky really!!) 

Maths set

Oxford metallics maths set and ballpoint pen in silver and rose gold - £9.99. Rose gold is really popular at the moment, so makes it very on trend from Maped Helix, who are a British company that have been synonymous with the stationery world for over 130 years. 

Those added extras

Some may say that stationery is quite boring (don't utter those words to the teenager) but it is good to add a little fun to your school set and this year, Helix are featuring a  'Pepsi' stationery range that are destined to be the must have school product for 2018.

So while there are some children who are happy with a couple of pens and a calculator to go back to school with, it is good to know that you don't need to break the bank to find different products out there for those who like that little bit extra. This is useful, especially when forty-two per cent of parents are worrying about costs and have said school clothing was the biggest expense they faced before September, followed by extracurricular fees (18%), school supplies (15%), electronics (14%), and tutoring (10%).

It seems that whilst parents are crunching the numbers before school even starts, the only thing the kids are worried about is making sure that they have a pencil case to put all their new stuff into! 

It is the bank holiday weekend and if the weather is kind to us, it would be nice to be out enjoying the garden. Sloane and Sons Garden Benches can be centre-piece of your garden. It is a place where you can sit and admire the fruits of your hard-labour and long hours spent.  We all desire to improve our garden’s style and we need the hints and tips from the experts and professionals who can guide us.  If, like me, you need a little guidance, here are top sites to visit to find these ideas that can improve your garden’s style.

Royal Horticultural Society

The big daddy of the gardening world is the RHS.  This is a website that has a host of expert professional gardeners who are passionate and energetic advocates for garden style.  When you visit this website, you will be treated to a plant finder, a help and advice section, a gardening calendar – as well as an online shop.  This is a no-nonsense site for the garden lovers of the world – and the first place you should visit to learn how to add style to your grounds.

Great British Gardens

What is great about this site is that it includes images from more than 30 gardens around Britain – including Wisley, Great Dixter and Harewood House – and you can click on the garden and find all the information needed to aspire to the same style.  This is the site where you can aspire to the work of some of greatest garden designers in the country.  The great news is that this site also includes a directory of other gardening websites where you can continue your education.

National Garden Scheme

This is more commonly known as the Yellow Book.  You can go here – type in your postcode – and find open gardens close to your home.  You can then visit the garden and find out how they managed to get the style that deserves such visitors – and raise millions of pounds for charity at the same time.

Lost Gardens of Heligan

This site is a lot more commercial than other sites – but you will enjoy the virtual tours of the different gardens you could visit if you went to St Austell.  The great thing about the website is that you can go slow and look closely at the small details that bring the real style to Heligan.  There is also a timeline – which shows you how the gardens are maintained – and live webcams to keep completely up-to-date on the latest moves the gardeners are making.

Kew

Kew has nineteen science teams that focus in detail on over 70 thousand plants specimens from across the world.  Is there anything else you could possibly need to know about planting and maintenance of plants and trees from anywhere around the globe. You can also have a virtual tour of the treetop walkway – experience the gardens of Kew from your home.

Thompson & Morgan

It is important to know that Thompson & Morgan is a site for selling seeds. This is an eCommerce site aimed at promoting the range of seeds they want you to buy (I love that you can buy garden seeds online) This said, this company was founded over 150 years ago and they have the largest range of seeds for sale – with over 1500 seeds at an incredibly low price.  It might not offer you unbiased tips – but it will offer you a place where you can fulfil your plans for your garden.

BBC Gardening

The BBC is a site aimed at the universal gardener.  Another way of saying this is that the advice can be a little basic and the tone patronising.  However, the advice given is also high quality and representative of one of the widest range of gardeners and their gardens.  The site is informative without being flashy – and it is where you can find the A- Z of almost everything about adding style to your garden.

The Gardening Website

To make your garden sing with the style you desire you need to know where to find the perfect plants.  The Gardening Website is a guide to centres and specialists, furniture suppliers and designers.  You want to find a hammock – come to this site – you want to find the organic chemicals for plant maintenance – come to this site – you want to find bamboo – well there are 22 specialists listed.

Claire Austin

Whenever you read articles online you always hear from Claire Austin –she offers excellent advice and guidance on garden style.  Her website offers clear and to-the-point advance on a range of hardy plans – and Austin provides honest advice – even calling some species a thug.  Sometimes you don’t want the sales pitch – or a well edited list of species you should be looking for.  Sometimes you need as many of the species of bearded and herbaceous peonies – and to be told which one is going to do what you expect.

The Urban Garden

Not all of us have a huge garden in the country where we can create the most amazing border.  Some of us have boxes and pots that need a flourish – this is our garden that needs some style.  This site is brilliant at offering advice to those of us whose hands are not yet blistered and scarred from hours sculpting our landscape.  

I can't say that personally I am the most green fingered person but am lucky enough to know what looks good and having a family who love to be outside, helps to look after the plants and indeed enjoy the garden.

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One of my main goals on my 40 things to do list was to be the healthiest I have ever been and that in itself means I need to be in charge and take control of my naughty habits. Multiple factors play a role in enhancing your health and having a healthy life. Such include eating right, exercising regularly and avoiding destructive habits like drinking and smoking. While many individuals admit that they should improve their wellbeing and lead a healthy lifestyle, the majority of them have no idea where to begin. The following are some invaluable tips that I have picked up, that can make your efforts a whole lot easier. 

1. Watch your Eating Habits

Your efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle will be futile if you don’t change your eating habits. You should ensure to eat at least three balanced meals in a day and avoid skipping the first meal, breakfast.  Also be certain to consider the portions to avoid overeating. It is advisable to eat healthy snacks in between the meals rather than taking huge portions of food. Also, do not take vitamin supplements unless your doctor prescribes them for you. Instead, make a habit of consuming plenty of fruits and healthy smoothies, which will effectively supply all the nutrients and vitamins needed by your body. 

2. Take a Balanced Diet

While different people have varying tastes and preferences and thus prefer taking diverse meals, you should at least ensure that your prospective meal is capable of providing your body with all the requisite nutrients. This includes consuming fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, healthy fats, proteins, and dairy products.  Balanced nutrition has multiple health benefits like healthy skin and strong teeth. Also, healthier food choices can potentially prevent health complications like heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure as well as aiding in weight loss. 

3. Consume A Lot of Natural Juices and Veggie Smoothies

Eating a lot of fruits and veggies is essential in supplying your body with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They also serve to boost your immunity level and help in the prevention of diseases, thus improving your overall health.  There is no better way to take fruits and veggies than creating juices. When creating drinks like smoothies, don’t stick to one type of fruit; select from the five main colors to obtain a variety of phytonutrients to combat signs of aging and prevent diseases.

Dark green fruits support lung health, arteries function, the health of the liver, and eye functioning.  Similarly, feeding on brown-white fruits can help you to obtain strong, healthy bones and an optimally-functioning circulatory system. Blue-purple fruits have antioxidants that do a great job with fighting the symptoms of aging while also supporting a healthy brain and heart.

4. Adjust your Drinking Habits 

Drinking a lot of water helps with the expedient elimination of toxins from your body. Also, every system in the body depends on water to function thus taking more liquid is very beneficial to your wellbeing. Water also goes a long way in aiding with weight loss, cell functioning, and metabolism.

While at it, you will want to reduce your alcohol intake, which will help with the prevention of health problems such as liver cirrhosis. Moreover, alcohol encourages dehydration, which can be disastrous to the body cells. Instead, take more healthy fluids like juice, broth, and milk; they not only provide many benefits to the body, they are also not harmful, and before leaving here you should check out Veranda Interiors for machines that you can use to better your health. Feeding on juicy veggies and fruits increase the hydration levels of your body. You ought to make a habit of getting real veggies and fruits instead of taking artificially sweetened drinks like soda. 

5. Less Red Meat and More Fiber

Red meat is associated with a high risk of coronary heart disease due to its high-fat content. By cutting on the consumption of red meat, you will ultimately reduce the cholesterol levels in your body, thus improving your health. Conversely, having less fiber in your body can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood sugar, and excess cholesterol in your blood.  You should, therefore, ensure to consume more foods that are rich in fiber such as veggies, legumes, and whole grains. These will ultimately help you with the prevention of obesity, stroke or diabetes. 

6. Exercise Regularly

Regular exercise is literally a miracle worker; it can boost your moods, manage your weight and generally make you feel better. Workouts are simple and healthy; if you can’t make it to the gym, you can walk, swim or dance for like an hour daily. Workouts aid in the prevention of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even cancer.

    7. Sleep Well

Getting sufficient quality sleep boasts multiple health-related benefits. It helps with the regulation of the immune system, weight management, and boosting your mental health. An adult should sleep for 7-8 hours consistently with no interruptions, and adolescents may go up to 10 hours. Quality sleep will go a long way in the prevention of depression and boost your mood. 

8. Cook at Home and Walk More

 Practicing healthy habits like cooking food at home is critical to achieving a healthy lifestyle. This is also considerably cheaper and healthier than eating in hotels. If you have limited time during the week, cook enough on the weekends. Also, if you have problems going to the gym, consider taking the staircase instead of an elevator. Take a stroll after dinner or adopt a hobby that will put you on the move like geocaching. 

There are various adjustments that you can make in your daily life to complement your efforts to adopt a healthy lifestyle. The majority of these steps are easy to follow and inexpensive. You could, for instance, resolve to always walk from home to work, invest in a good water bottle or replace alcoholic drinks with healthy smoothies. A combination of healthy water intake, balanced nutrition and workouts will go a long way in achieving your goals related to a healthy lifestyle.

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