Penney's on Tour - 10 Years On

 TUESDAY, 9 SEPTEMBER 2014 Week 2

We had to make a quick pit stop in Newark to get a few things fixed on Amethyst. We arrived at Portsmouth at twenty-five, but we have photos to prove our start point on the 1st of September and, of course, the all-important start mileage clock. For any of you who have bought tickets to guess the mileage we travel or who are planning to buy, then this is VERY important.

We then travelled pretty close to Bognor Regis for two nights, where we walked along the shingle beachfront and then sat on the beach eating fish and chips, with not an amusement arcade in sight. Bognor is a lovely small seaside town (smaller than Skeggy) and it was such a beautiful day and not very busy due to it being the first day back at school. Yay!

We moved on to Littlehampton, which was very picturesque. The weather was still glorious, so a mooch along the promenade was called for. We found the longest bench made from what looked like an old toy railway track (apparently, this is the highlight of Littlehampton), two large rusting anchors, and a lovely little marina area that they called the Riviera. It would have been even lovelier if there had been just a couple more trendy shops and bars to sit out at and watch the world go by.

We then moved on to Washington as we couldn't get into a campsite in Worthing. I'm not sure why, as school had started again, but we managed to get the last pitch. We stopped off at Arundel Castle. Wow! This place was amazing. As I do have a bee in my bonnet about castles and stately homes, then I've been to a few in my time, and this has to be the best. It's a working castle, i.e. the Duke of Norfolk still resides there, and it was seriously imposing and impressive, walking up the hill to the place, the gardens and the house inside, especially the Library and the chapel. Oh my, if I lived in a house like that, I would be a permanent fixture in the library, which is very Gothic, atmospheric, and haunted. Excellent, everything I could need to write a book about!

We also walked along the South Downs and up to Canterbury Ring, a wooden circle of trees that have been linked to UFO kidnapping, devil worship, and pentagrams found made of flint! It's a circle of trees on a hill! Even though I'm not that gullible, people like to think in the fantastical and mystical; someone even reported people levitating there. Hey ho. But the scenery and views when we reached the top were breath taking, and it's moments like this that I love doing the UK tour. The walk uphill was a killer. A friend of mine used to call me a Mountain Goat when I was younger because whenever we were walking, especially when walking in the Lake District, I could climb anywhere unfazed, with no aches or pains to speak of. Well, this spritely young goat feels like Old Billy Goat Gruff these days. Crikey! Ache! Phew, it was hard work but worth it.

#travelblogger #coastlineofBritain #travellingmotorhome 

A Year in a Motorhome = Ten Years On

 TUESDAY, 2 SEPTEMBER 2014 Week 1

We had a week to kill before making our way to Portsmouth, the starting point of our yearlong travelling adventure. So we went to see Chatsworth House, as I haven't been there since I was a child. I still remember the big entrance hall, and I thought it would be nice to see some sights inland, as the majority of the travelling this year will be around the coastline.

The weather could have been kinder, but overall, it was a lovely day. The house was amazing, and I love stately homes that are generous with the number of rooms you can walk around and nosey at. Considering the Duke of Devonshire and his family actually live there, I was very impressed. I know I wouldn't like people nosing around my house!

We went onto Warwick and parked the motorhome in the middle of Warwick race. Yes, there is a caravan park in the middle of the racecourse. We decided to do an O.D. in culture and go to Warwick Castle, too. Now granted, it is supposed to be the best castle to look around in the country (apparently); however, I have seen better, but I like them crumbling and falling apart. The royal rooms you get to look around are impressive, and you move through medieval banquet halls to Tudor and Stuart times to the turn of the twentieth century when Queen Victoria's eldest son used to stay with Earl Warwick a lot; it was his haven from the royal court.

The castle was bought by Tussauds, so there were lots of waxwork models depicting how the other lived when it was still a working castle. We watched Knights sword fighting, a falconry display and even saw a condor. We watched an accurate jousting match, and you could have a go at archery if you so wished. It was a great day out, especially to wear children out just days before they go back to school... But I really don't think it was worth charging £24 entrance fee. (other tours cost extra!)

At the end of our fill-in week, we spent three days in Skegness. It was nice as far as British seaside towns go. A big fun fair and Butlins holiday camp meant one end of Skeggy was very busy indeed, so we walked the other way to the town itself. It was a small seaside town, and we easily walked around in half a day, but it was pleasant enough and a nice break before we started the challenge.

Celebrate Book Lovers Day: Discovering the Health Benefits of Reading

 

Every year on 09 August, bookworms around the world unite to celebrate their love for literature on Book Lovers Day. Whether you're immersed in the pages of a gripping novel, exploring a factual tome, or escaping into the realms of fantasy, reading offers more than just entertainment—it also contributes significantly to your overall health and wellbeing.

The Mental Gymnastics of Reading

Reading is often likened to a workout for the brain. When you engage with a book, you're not just passively absorbing information; you're actively processing, analysing, and interpreting text. This mental exercise strengthens neural pathways, improving cognitive function and potentially staving off cognitive decline as you age.

Stress Reduction and Relaxation

In our fast-paced world, finding moments of peace and relaxation is crucial for mental health. Reading has been shown to lower cortisol levels, the hormone responsible for stress, by transporting readers into different worlds and allowing them to temporarily escape from everyday worries. The immersive nature of reading can induce a state of relaxation similar to meditation, making it an excellent bedtime ritual for better sleep.

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Fiction, in particular, allows readers to step into the shoes of characters from diverse backgrounds and experiences. This journey fosters empathy and emotional intelligence, helping readers understand and relate to others in their real lives. By encountering different perspectives, readers can broaden their worldview and become more open-minded individuals.

Expanding Knowledge and Vocabulary

Whether you're delving into non-fiction or absorbing the rich language of literature, reading expands your knowledge base and enhances your vocabulary. The more you read, the more words and ideas you're exposed to, which can improve communication skills and even boost confidence in social settings.

Building a Reading Habit

To reap the full benefits of reading, consider incorporating it into your daily routine. Set aside dedicated time each day—whether it's during your morning commute, lunch break, or before bed—to indulge in a good book. Joining a book club or discussing books with friends can also enrich the experience by providing new insights and recommendations.

 

The Mancunian Tales

 In the United Kingdom, Book Lovers Day is observed in various ways. People share book recommendations with friends and family, indulge in reading their favourite books or discover new genres, and attend literary events or visit local bookstores and libraries. It presents an opportunity for individuals to appreciate the written word and engage in discussions about the importance of books in society. Book Lovers Day is observed annually on August 9th, bringing book fanatics together in a mutual celebration of literature.

The Beyond Series

Fun things to do in the UK for Book Lovers Day

Visit your local bookstore and find a book series that interests you. The store may be offering a special deal to celebrate the day.

Get a library card! Visit your local library and sign up for one. You'll be able to browse the library's collection and even check out new books. Visit the Rylands Library in Manchester, it's incredible, like Hogwarts with tonnes of books!

Check out the Bodleian Libraries. These historic libraries are part of the University of Oxford and are some of the oldest in Europe. You can take a guided tour to celebrate the day.

Visit The Charles Dickens Museum in London. You can explore the author's former home, see the first editions and manuscripts of his novels, and learn about his life.

This year, I plan to visit Stratford Upon Avon to visit Shakespeare's Museum and Anne Hathaway's Cottage. What will you be doing to celebrate Book Lovers Day?

Conclusion

As we celebrate Book Lovers Day, let's not only cherish the stories that transport us but also recognise the profound impact reading has on our health and wellbeing. Whether you're seeking relaxation, mental stimulation, or personal growth, books offer a gateway to a world of possibilities. So, pick up a book, immerse yourself in its pages, and let the benefits of reading enhance your life.

Happy Book Lovers Day to all the avid readers and book enthusiasts out there!

Fun Pastimes as a Kid in the 1970s and 1980s

We all must have memories of our favourite toys and the odd things that would ovcupy our minds as children. Here are a few of my favourites. I always wanted a girly metalic pink or blue bike that was all the rage in the early 80's and as usual my lovely parents, got it slightly wrong and got me a Hercules fold away bike like this one. Although I was slightly disappointed it wasn't exactly the bike I'd asked for, it was the first bike my folks had actually bought for me, as I always ended up with my brothers hand me downs (yes, I used to ride a red Tomahawk before this beauty!) I loved playing cops and robbers on it, particularly Starskey and Hutch and Chips!

I became quite proficient at roller skating too. My uncle would take my brother, cousin and I to Roller City in Rochdale and I even had some lessons so I could do all kinds of tricks like pirouettes, one legged crouch, skating backwards etc. I loved tearing down the pavement as fast as I could and I still roller skated (secretly) when I was in my teens. (I got embarrassed that I was too old) These were the exact same boots I had. I want white leather ones, like Torville and Dean style, but as always I got what I asked for, just not in the style or colour I wanted. Aww, bless. But this was one of the activities I used be able to do whilst fantasying stories, like being a Princess in a stately home, or a gyspy girl who lived in a shiny caravan and didn't have to go to school and could live outside all the time.

Elastics or French skipping or Chinese Jump as it is also known. At St Margaret's we called it Elastics and I was simply brilliant at it. I didn't like sports as such, but cycling, roller skating, elastics and two ball were my talents and I'd practice and practice until I was the best and no other girl in my class could beat me. I even used to practice at home alone by putting elastics under the dining chair legs and playing in the house. I must have seemed quite an odd child to adults when I think about it.

Two Ball was literally throwing two tennis balls at a wall in a certain sequence whilst doing various tricks like calpping in between throwns, juggling with just one hand, turning around in a circle. Again, I would practice this game at home for hours under my dad's carport so even if it rained, I could still play out! This was a pasttime that would allow me to drift into my head and my thoughts once more, but this time I would dream of all the toys I really wanted for my next birthday or Christmas, like a Pink and Pretty Barbie!

At one time, there was always a park within spitting distance from a kids house, these days you have to go to the main towns parks run by the council, but on our estate, there was a waste area with garages and a big playground with swings, slides, a big round about and rides similar to what you see in these pictures. This was a great place to make new friends with kids who lived on the estate, but you'd never normally meet because they didn't live on the same road as us. If I went alone though, this was a great time for me to play my Science Fiction games such as Space 1999 and Blakes 7

And, finally no reminiscing about being a 70's kid is complete without the mention of this crazy dude. The Space Hopper. Now, for some reason both my brother and I asked for a Space Hopper and never got one, but we knew all the kids on our street who did have one and so if we fancied a bounce around on a big plastic orange ball then we'd call on our 'special' friends to have a go. I can still feel the excitement and exhilaration of bouncing around really high on this, especially when going down a steep hill. Great Fun!

I think every girl played skipping. If you didn't then I don't know where you're coming from. These where the exact same pair of ropes I used to have and we'd play doubles, singles and in groups. In  the early 80's when Double Dutch became all the rage, I even managed to master two rope skipping. Although these days I think I'd have a heart attack if I did any kind of skipping. As a kid it seemed so easy, but now it's just so hard.

I don't have any pictures of me learning to swim, but every Tuesday evening after school was swimming lessons. I remember almost drowning on my first attempts but I got as far as my life savers badge when we moved from Heywood to Bluntisham (Cambridgeshire). We'd go to Gask Pool on school holidays quite regularly and I rmemeber going with my cousin a lot and a friend called Kate. Going to Bury baths was a big treat because it was enormous compared to Heywoods little pool.

OMG! I LOVED Brownies and Guides. These are photos of St Margarets Whit Walks in the very early 80's. I was so proud the day I was allowed to carry the pack's flag and we used to do it regularly as we had to attend church parade to be a part of the pack. I loved the badges we had to do. I remember doing toy maker and making a green felt owl I still have today and a papiermache piggy bank. Safety in the home I almost failed because I couldn't light the match I was so afraid of burning myself. Agility, I could do because I could do tipple overs and cartwheels, but that was about it!

Collectors badge because I was a big horder and collected stamps and foreign dolls mainly at this time. We had a halloween party one year (i've already written about this in another blog,) where I dressed as a witch and won 1st prize. I remember going on a trip to Blackpool zoo and I loved the standing in a circle around the toadstool and a stuffed owl at the beginning and end of each evening to say the Brownie Promise and to sing a song or say a prayer. My auntie turned up one evening as the area commissioner which I was so proud of. Weirdly I had no idea she was involved in Guides until that night, but I was very happy to see her.

I still have my Brownie Guide handbook!

Summer holidays and hot, balmy days meant water fights. The kids at one end of the street would have a water fight with us lot round the corner. The essential weapon of choice was of course the fairy washing up bottle. My friend and next door neighbour Angela had a tent just like this one, so when it was nice weather we were allowed to pitch it in her back garden and play in it like a huge Wendy house. My folks even let me sleep out in it twice with her. I'm not going to go on about it because I have already mentioned in another blog, but, Oh what fun!

Camping in friends back garden, my friend Angela was a little bit older than me and as a Brownie I always wanted to camp out. Angela had her own tent so a few times during the summer months we would camp out in Angela's back garden and have midnight feasts which general consisted of lots of chocolate! I absolute loved camping out with Angela and I cherish those memories. This was the exact same tent we used to camp out in!

I loved to dance and although I wasn't exactly graceful as a ballet dancer, After Heywood Civic Centre, Whitefield Ballet Classes (which was awful) and the Samaritans centre (Thumbelina  routine in a previous post) - My auntie took me and my cousin to an old church or village hall in Middleton where I really enjoyed myself. It wasn't traditional Ballet and tap, but more contemporary and we danced to routines such as Lazy Bones, Albatross and Puppet on a String. We did a showcase and I had to dress up as a clown and a Charleston dancer in this electric blue satin dress. Why we stopped going, I don't know and why my mum never took photos I also don't know.

So I moved on to Taskers where I discovered Ballroom dancing and my talent... Every Saturday I'd spend the entire morning there while my folks went shopping. Little Jimmy was my teacher and he was kind and also very good according to my nana and grandad who were avid ball room dancers themselves. Unfortunately, there was a very unpleasant girl in our little group of six and for some reason she always picked on me to the point where she dug her nails into my legs and drew blood, so, my parents complained and Jimmy offered to give me 1 to 1 tuition. Which I loved.

My Uncle Dave was an avid squash player and he used to take me and my cousin Nichola there when he was looking after us, but wanted a game of squash. This was back in the days when kids were allowed to be let out of adults watchful and I have to say we did run riot. I used to love going there because it reminded me of Chips as they were always playing squash or in fancy American bars. Bamford Squash club did have such a bar and we used to play Chips or Starskey and Hutch there. I also remember messing around in the ladies toilets and we found this little doll and my cousin stuffed it in the ladies disposal unit. I had no idea what it was for back then, I just thought it was an incredibly smelly bin!! I still love walking past squash courts now and watching people play, and the sound of the ball ricocheting from wall to racket still gives me goose bumps and a thrill to hear.

I Hope you enjoyed, if you'd like to read more things I have been inspired by over the years, please check out my Crime Novels The Mancunian Tales and my Urban Fantasy Books The Beyond Series. Or for something different watch My Videos on YouTube channel.

www.ackershaw.co.uk 

8 Reasons Why Reading is Good For Your Health

 

As part of mental health awareness week and a registered Mental Health First Aider myself, I thought I’d look for an article that proves the positive benefits of reading a good book from time to time. This is a great article From MHFA England. Here are eight great benefits to your mental health when reading:

1. Reading is pleasurable

When you start to read a really good book it is often hard to put it down, the story captivates you and time disappears as you become absorbed. When you reach the end, you are so eager to get the next book in the series, perhaps look up other books the author may have published before. It’s a magical feeling.

2. Reading can reduce stress

Losing yourself in a good book has been shown to reduce your levels of stress. Research has previously shown that reading as little as six minutes a day can reduce stress levels by 60%. Your heart reduces which eases muscle tension and altering your state of mind. It is also believed that reading is better at reducing stress than music, drinking a cup of tea, going for a walk and playing video games.

3. Reading can provide an escape from the 'real world'

Closely linked to reducing stress levels when you read is the ability to escape from the real world. I did this all the time as a child and I continued it into my adult hood, which gave me the imagination to write my own fantasy stories as a way of escape. Becoming immersed in that world helps me to forget my worries and reduces my anxiety. Research has shown that escapism is more complex than just reading for light-hearted entertainment, but it did show that people found the process transformative changing the way people interact with the world and others.

4. Reading helps you develop empathy for others

People who read fiction have been shown to improve their level of empathy, the ability to understand someone else’s beliefs, feelings and thoughts. This is known as the theory of mind.
A study showed that people exposed to fiction predicted the results of an empathy task and that empathy was temporarily enhanced after reading fiction.

5. Reading works your brain and prevents memory loss

Participating in cognitive activities, such as reading over your life time (both early and later in life) has shown to slow down memory loss when compared to those who didn’t participate in mentally stimulating activities. The same study also found that the rate of mental decline was reduced by 32% when people participated in reading, writing and other activities later on in life. While those with infrequent stimulating activity found that their decline was 48% faster than those with average activity.

6. Reading groups help to treat mental health issues

My default for when I’m feeling low is to read or write stories but there is scientific research that shows that reading and then talking about what you have read could be beneficial to mental health and well-being. There is something called bibliotherapy and it has a profound effect on people suffering with depression. Liverpool Health Inequalities Research Institute examined a two weekly reading group program for people diagnosed with depression over a 12-month period and reported a significant improvement to mental health. Participants reported improved concentration, better emotional understanding, increased self-awareness, and the ability to discuss meaningful issues related to self and being.

7. Reading helps teenagers develop insights into being an adult

Becoming an adult can be tricky – a lot of things change during this time and exploring self-identity is crucial. I remember reading as a teenager a book called Changing Times by Tim Kennemore and Z for Zachariah in particular, which dealt with hard hitting issues for the teenage protagonists in both books whilst set in a Sci-fi/Fantasy genre. I remember the books that resonate with me the most and helped me to understand the confusing world and transition from child to adult. MHFA said ‘Research has shown that reading for pleasure in teenagers has three key benefits, reading was shown to enhance academic performance, social engagement and personal development. Fiction helped teens by providing significant insights into mature relationships, personal values and cultural identity all of which are important in the transition from being a child to becoming an adult.’

8. Reading can make you smarter

Reading books helps us to learn new things, experience different cultures, understand ourselves better and research has shown that reading does in fact make us smarter. Cognitive differences have been seen between those who read a lot and those who read a little. People who are exposed to more written information are associated with higher vocabulary, general knowledge, and verbal skills.

If you are looking to reduce your stress, educate yourself, become more empathetic and even smarter than you currently are then the Mental Health Book Club Podcast currently has reviews and recommendations on over 20 fiction and non-fiction books portraying mental health issues. Here’s the link to the MHBC podcast looking at books, media and speaking to people who think mental health is important identifying books that represent people in a positive and realistic way supporting the mental health community.

Or if you simply want to get lost in your imagination for a while try my fictional books The Beyond and The Mancunian Tales. Click on the links here. The Mancunian Tales The Beyond Series of books