Who Fights The Monster Under Your Bed?

I was recently asked, "Who Fights The Monster Under Your Bed?" Even coming up thirty years old and with the hubby on nights from time-to-time, I'm still a bit on edge when it's time to turn off the lights at night time and about those 'house noises' you hear when everything is at its most silent. I'm not too embarrassed to admit this although I thought I might have grown out of it by now. That's why you always need what Warren Evans have dubbed a bedtime guardian.

Since I was little, I have had a teddy - Mammy Bear - which isn't a very original name but that's what I called her. She went everywhere with me (even the bath) and she has a bald spot on her head where I cut her hair once and then realised it didn't grow back. Even when I was frightened of what might be under my bed or in my cupboard, having a comforting presence there helped make me feel secure and have a good nights sleep and I still have Mammy Bear tucked away in my cupboard. OK, so that sounds like she was just a childhood guardian, but when I went away to uni she came too. My husband says he'll never forget me walking out of halls after a particularly traumatic day with a bag of belongings slung over my shoulder, car keys in one hand and her in the other. The nice thing is he didn't think it was lame, he actually said it's one of the cutest memories he has.

In the future, I might be able to pass her on to any children that I may have but I hope that everyone has their own version of Mammy Bear. Life is that bit less scary with her close by.
 

Take a bow Julian Hakes

Julian Hakes has pushed shoe design a little further recently with his 'Mojito' shoe.

Picture taken from www.schuh.com


 

I am absolutely fascinated by the architecture of them proven by the fact I've been staring at this picture for the last ten minutes. It's the first pair of shoes I've been blown away by for quite some time and although it may not be the usual style I would expect myself to be drawn to, I kinda want to give them a go.

Each of these shoes are made from a single piece of fibre glass which supports each end of the foot whilst twisting around the middle. The insides are leather lined for finish, and presumably comfort.

If you try them or buy them, please do let me know what they're like. Until then, I will be hunting around in branches of Schuh to try and have a go myself!

Don't waste your crusts!

There are few things I hate in life more than waste, and whilst I've been eating my breakfast (granary toast but the crust of the bread) I was thinking about what the crust can be used for.

Left to dry out a little and then fried in a bit of olive oil you could make croutons but my best suggestion would be to have some tomato puree and some cheese handy. Lightly toast your crust, Spread the purée onto it and grate some cheese on top. Grill until golden and you have a pizza style snack and a way of using crusts :) plus you can use whatever you have lying about as toppings!