Basic car care for your next holiday*

I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure there’s not a nicer feeling than setting ‘out of office’ on your email, closing the door on work and setting off on holiday. For me, the travelling is as much part of the holiday as the holiday itself. We like to take our car and be as independent as possible (plus there’s no weight restrictions on luggage!).

We regularly have short trips in the UK and at least once a year, we head over to France and Belgium. But as exciting as it is go on holiday, one major part of any driving trip is to make sure your car is ready for the journey. Basic car maintenance is a good habit to get into and can save you from any unexpected problems during your journey.

Having just returned from a week driving around Devon and with a trip to France on the horizon, I thought I’d share some of the basic checks we do before setting off. I normally travel with the other half and to be fair, he likes to do the checks himself. But if I’m travelling on my own, I do them myself.

The first item on our list was definitely the tyres. I always give them a once over before driving anywhere (and on both sides, it’s easy to forget what’s happening on the passenger side if you’re the driver). If the tyre pressure is too high or low this can cause uneven wear. If the tread is too low, it’s an MOT failure. Our tread is was getting low so a new set of tyres are needed before we go to France. It’s easy to check what tyres you need simply by entering your car reg online at websites like DAT Tyres where you can buy car tyres at economical prices.

Checking the oil – again this is changed when the car has its service or if you’re confident enough it can be something you tackle yourself. Check the oil level before any big trip and remember to make a note of what type of oil your car uses. I have a sticker in the glove compartment to remind of that as well as the recommended tyre pressure.

Other checks we do are cleaning the air filter, brake fluid level, the water in the radiator and making sure the screen wash is topped up, preferably with some screen cleaner to get rid of all those pesky bugs you get on your windscreen. Check your windscreen wiper blades as well. It’s amazing the difference a new set can make.

One other hint I would give for car maintenance is to read your car manual and if going on a long journey – take it with you! We had to change a brake light bulb once while in France and the whole thing was a lot less stressful knowing we had the manual to hand.

And the final bit of car maintenance? Making sure the driver and passengers are looked after. I always have a supply of snacks and drinks on hand and plan stops along the way to break the journey up. Share the driving whenever you can (unless you’re my other half who hates being a passenger) and make sure the sat nav is up to date. If you’re driving abroad remember the check the legal requirements for what you must carry in the car (high viz jackets, spare bulb kit and breathalysers for France for example).

So, there you have it, my hints and tips for making sure your car is safe and ready for your next holiday.

Thanks for reading 

Cathy

xx

* This post contains sponsored links

A March and April Instagram round up

I like doing these sort of posts - it's a good way to remind myself what I've got up to over the last few months.

In March. there was a hell a lot of weather! Spring flowers and snow and a trip to London. Plus I picked up my current favourite jumper from Primark.

In April we visited Mottisfont Abbey which despite being on our doorstep, we hadn't been to for years.

There was also Easter, a trip to Dorchester to see a dinosaur and getting lost in a maze.

The next couple of months are looking pretty exciting, we're off to Devon in May and Brussels in June. I may even try my hand at vlogging (just maybe...!).

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

Organic Shop Haircare*

It's that time of year where the sun is out, holidays are (hopefully) on the horizon and suddenly we can't hide under hats and scarves when we have a bad hair day.

Luckily a new haircare range has been launched from Organic Shop with a range of fruity and tropical scents which should help - and the best thing about it? It's all environmentally friendly. The products have none of those hidden nasties such as microbeads, parabens, SLS, mineral oils or GMOs. The packaging is recyclable and to top it off, The Organic Shop is totally against animal testing.

There's an impressive range of products to choose from such as:

Coconut and Shea - moisturising, softness and revival
Argan and Amia - nourishing, strength and lustre
Honey and Avocado - repairing, softness and vitality
Raspberry and Acai - volumising, strength and thickness
Pomegranate and Patchouli - invigorating, smoothness and perfection

To be honest, I have hair days where I need all of this together, but in the end I selected the Coconut and Shea range to try as my hair is quite fine, very dry at the ends and prone to frizziness the minute there's any moisture in the air (just think of the cartoon character Crystal Tips...). In particular this range was 'made for dry and damaged hair, the organic coconut nourishes strands to leave hair lustrous and shiny restoring damaged hair. Organic Shea provides a boost of hydration to repair split ends and smooth frizz leaving hair rejuvenated and revived'. Sounds exactly like the sort of thing I need!

First thing that always strikes me about using a SLS free product (Sodium Lauryl Sulphate) is that is doesn't have the foaming you get with other shampoos. Straight away you know you're using something with less chemicals that's kinder for you and the environment. Another thing I noticed straight away is the smell. I love coconut but sometimes artificial scents can be a quite sickly sweet and this definitely wasn't.

My hair is naturally curly and is very prone to tangling (I have been known to cut knots out in desperation before) so I found I always needed to use the conditioner after shampooing. The hair mask was a lovely extra treat which I used once a week and left my hair feeling super soft.

This haircare range is exclusive to Tesco and online at Organic Shop UK. At only £2.50, it's not going to break the bank if you want to treat yourself. I think I could be tempted to work my way through the range!

Plus, to celebrate the launch of this haircare range in Tesco, The Organic Shop are running a competition to win a holiday for two to Aruba. Check out their website to find out how to enter.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx

* items sent for review, thoughts and opinions all my own

Days out - Dippy on Tour in Dorchester

Did you know there's a dinosaur travelling the country?

Dippy the Dinosaur who used to grace the entrance way in the Natural History Museum, London is now on a natural history adventure across the UK. His first stop was the Jurassic Coast and the Dorset County Museum in Dorchester.

Now I remember visiting the Natural History museum many times as a child, Dippy was moved front and centre to the Hintze Hall in 1979 when I was 10 and as a lover of all things dinosaur, he was a big thing. I still have the model of a diplodocus I proudly bought with my pocket money. It sits on my bedroom window sill watching the neighbours like a minature prehistoric bodyguard.

His tail was a bit more curled than we remembered and according to the staff he's changed position a few times over the years. Also the balcony at either end had to be cut to accommodate him. After being at the Natural History museum for a total of 110 years, it's remarkable he's made it in one piece.

It was so good to see plenty of visitors, even towards the end of his stay. Talking to a member of staff they said they had had in excess of 100,000 visitors since Dippy's arrival. He really is a bit of a crowd pleaser! And what a beautiful location for the first stop!

Next stop on the tour is Birmingham - wonder if I could become a Dippy groupie and follow him around? His last stop is is Norwich Cathedral which I imagine will be spectacular.

The full list of stops and dates can be found here - if you're planning a visit, let me know!

Thanks for reading

Cathy
xx