Finding our Feline Friends | Tabcat Safe & Found

Any of my close friends will tell you that my cat Zara has a habit of disappearing (and at the worst possible times too!) so when Tabcat contacted me to review their cat tracker*, how could I say no?

The user guide was really easy to follow and setting up the tracking device was a breeze. The device came with two trackers but you can have up to four trackers in use at the same time which is perfect for people having more than one moggy. The box also contained two splash proof covers for the trackers to protect them from the elements.

I decided to use try both covers on Zara's tracker ye know, depending on her style that day... (ha!) and as you can see she didn't give two hoots about wearing it. The tracker is really light weight so your cat will barely notice it's there.

Soon Zara was off exploring and I could try out the locator device. Unlike other cat trackers, the Tabcat isn't a GPS tracker and instead uses RF technology which has the advantage of being extremely accurate with locating your kitty, up to 2 centimetres away to be precise! It's range is 122 metres which is great for Zara as she's rather territorial and doesn't wander far. The lights on the locating device light up from red to green, green indicating you're on the money and red meaning you're cold. It also makes a noise to determine how near of far you are from finding your feline friend but I personally found that function a little annoying so have opted to mute the noise altogether.

Another great function to this device is it can train you cat to come home! When hitting the locate button on the device, it makes the cat tag beep. The best way to train your cat to know this sound means home time, is to play the beep before you give your cat food, thus associating the noise with food so they should come running. This is something I am still working on with Zara, as initially the beeping freaked her out but she is slowly getting used to the sound and associating it with dinner time!

I'm so pleased we have Tabcat in our household now. We don't have a cat flap in our current home so we have to rely on hearing the cat meow at the door or leaving it open for her which isn't really an option in the depths of winter! Knowing we can easily find her with Tabcat really puts me at ease and thankfully since she has been wearing it we've only had one disappearing act!

At the end of the day, I love to curl up with Zara to give her a bit of fuss knowing that she's safe and found.

Have you tried Tabcat for your kitty?

Top Tips for Poorly People

I'm ill, again... and for any of my close and friends and family this won't come as a shock! I'm ill all the time so as a seasoned ill person I thought I'd put my knowledge to good use and give you some tips on how I find coping with/ getting over illnesses.

Embrace it

It sucks to be ill, I know this but fighting it won't help. If you're that ill that you can't get out of bed and you can't get into work, you're as well just embracing it and doing your best to relax. Grab that book you've been meaning to read for ages and just let your body rest. The worst thing you can do is kid yourself you're fine and try carry on. It'll only make you feel worse and prolong you feeling better so let yourself recover. Its not like you're being lazy, you're ill!

The Poorly Person station

At any one time I have an array of drugs and products on hand for poorly days but what I don't want to be doing when I'm ill is rummaging in cupboards or generally moving if possible. I've taken to having a tray with a selection of ointments, tablets, tissues, throat sweets, a jug of water and whatever else I need plonked right next to me with an empty carrier bag for rubbish so I really don't have to move. If you can get someone to bring you soup that's a bonus but worst case grab a flask and make it first thing before your energy plummets. Stack up on supplies like winter is coming and take them to your illness lair!

Netflix is your true friend

If you really are suffering, vegetating in bed or on the sofa is the best thing for you and to prevent boredom, Netflix will save you and keep your mind occupied. Invest in a series that will have you hooked to make the hours pass and keep you (mildly) sane. True fact: I sat and watched an entire season of American Horror Story last week whilst being ill. There's twelve one hour episodes... I casually just watched it for twelve hours but god did it pass the time and make me temporarily forget how crap I was feeling.

Eat!

Someone once told me to eat what you want when you feel ill and I stick by this advice as I feel it's justified and does make you feel that little bit better. There is no point trying to stick to that ridiculous diet whilst you're under the weather and as they say "feed a cold, starve a fever". Your body needs fuel and with that you also need some treats. I think nothing of eating an entire pizza or a giant bar of chocolate when I feel rough. It tastes good and mentally makes me feel better/ cheers me up. Zero fucks given to the calorie content! Don't however neglect your veggies and that H20, your body will thank you for those and aid in your recovery. Soup is the holy grail of ill people food, in particular chicken. Legend has it that chicken soup is the elixir of life. 

Comfiness is key

It's okay to have a nana nap in the middle of the afternoon and spend an entire day in your onesie. Elasticated clothing is embraced and mismatch clashing patterned attire is the uniform of a poorly person. Only the postman will judge you for answering the door with a floppy bed head top knot and an unwashed appearance but who cares!? Allow yourself to be dishevelled and pile on those duvets and blankets until you're in some kind of comfy fort that can only be penetrated if one presents refreshments. Never say no to the refreshments.

TLC time

When you begin to feel better, there's nothing like a good soak in the bath with a face mask and a bath bomb to make you feel like a new woman. Tint your brows and shave those legs - you will feel reborn and invigorated for it plus a bit of pampering will boost your mood. I wouldn't recommend this mid illness, especially with a fever. Hot bathes and high temperatures are a biiiig no no.

I'm sure all of these tips are pretty obvious to you but please humour me, I'm ill and bored to tears. I would have loved to have posted something exciting for the end of the week but I haven't had the energy to edit properly. The struggle is real!

Anyhow if you have any top tips for poorly days please comment on this post, I'd love to know how you get on!

See you on next week when I'm hopefully less gross and feeling better!

Life Update and The Adult Tag

How is everyone enjoying July so far? It feels like it's flying by and I'm stuck in limbo a bit.

I thought I'd do a little update today as I've been keeping quiet about what has been going on in my life.

I'm between a rock and a hard place at the moment and don't feel settled or really very happy where I am. I recently left my job and I desperately want to disappear off travelling but the reality of responsibilities and two gorgeous pets means it's not very realistic. I've had itchy feet for a while now and just want to get away from the area. I grew up here and when moving to Cyprus I missed it like hell as it was familiar and I was homesick. Now however I feel I've really outgrown this one horse town once and for all. Chris and I are looking into our options to see if we can up root to another part of the country but in our present situation this is proving difficult but that's another story and potentially something I will share with you at a later date. In the meantime both Chris and I feel a bit lost and our goals seem either lost or out of sight, leading the pair of us to feel a bit flat at the moment! This really isn't like us either and it's quite unsettling for us both... We know what we want to do but we're just not sure how to achieve it?

With all this in mind, I got inspired by Pippa and Cara to do the Adult Tag which Pippa cleverly created as it felt rather fitting with how I'm feeling. There's some really good questions so I'd definitely recommend fellow YouTubers giving this a crack too!

You can watch this video below:

In the meantime, do any of you have any advice on what to do when you get itchy feet? I really want to settle but just not here...

Anyway enough of me rambling. I hope you're having a marvellous week.

Splendid Summer Drinks

Without jinxing things, it feels like summer may actually be here (at long last!) And with warmer weather, its good to sip refreshing drinks and treat ourselves to a cocktail or two.

My three summer essential drinks are the Monty Don Cocktail, Rose Bubbly and the classic that is Pimms but did you know that only one of these is alcoholic...?

First up on my list is Rose Bubbly and in particular this one from Luscombe. Made on a farm in deep Devon, the flavour of this is incredible, it just screams rose. It's an organic drink and also non-alcoholic but I can assure you that you won't feel like you're missing out whilst you sup on this. It's beautifully refreshing and a really elegant flavour, making it a perfect alternative to champagne or prosecco.

Next up I have the "Monty Don" cocktail. This is again is non-alcoholic but just as luxurious as an alcoholic cocktail I can assure you, being the perfect summer refresher. Think juicy strawberry coulis swirled into Qcumber water (dubbed the most fun you can have with a cucumber—with bubbles); a swipe of torn mint leaves, and a sprinkle of Wormersley Strawberry and Mint vinegar for zing.

So, if you're tempted by this delightful drink the recipe is as follows:

The Monty Don 

·         50ml Strawberry Coulis 
·         1 tsp of Womersley Strawberry & mint vinegar 
·         25ml sugar syrup 
·         6 large mint leaves 
·         100ml of Qcumber mint water 

I couldn't find strawberry coulis so I opted for forest fruits which has strawberry in and was a great alternative!

When you make this cocktail, gently jostle your mint leaves in a glass then drizzle the strawberry coulis, vinegar and sugar syrup over crushed ice. Stir, serve and relax!

And finally we have the last but least non-alcoholic drink of them all - Pimms. For me, this is the summer in a cup and  I love to make up for friends and family coming for a BBQ. This amazing drinks dispenser from Tesco is perfect for serving and is plastic which is great for clumsy me!

I love to add strawberries (British of course), cucumber, fresh mint, apple and orange to my recipe with one part Pimms to two parts lemonade. Grab a cute straw and it's good to serve!

Have you tried any of these drinks? I guarantee they'll give you summer vibes and are the perfect accompaniment to the sunshine.