Hello again,

On Saturday we went shopping to the White Rose. We haven’t been in a while but needed to try get some shopping done. When we arrived they had closed the car park at the entrance to Debenhams. So we went through another one.

We went to Lush to see what soaps, bath bombs and hair bars they had in. I quite like Lush as I they are a great option if you are wanting to try reduce your plastic consumption. Which if you’ve read any of my blogs you will know I am truing to do.

When we went in someone asked us if we were OK, I asked where the shampoo bars were and they took us to them. They instantly recognised I was overwhelmed by the noise, the lights, the smells and all the array of colours that were to see in the shop. Mentioning that it was quite loud they said they’d get the music turned down. They hurried back and asked if it was OK, I said that was a lot better. Thank you very much. This instantly made my experience better.

For me sensory overload is a real issue. I prefer shopping online. However, I miss a lot of the experience in this way. Especially when you’re buying soaps, you want to feel them and smell them. It’s quite personal when you’re shopping for bath products. You want to know that what you’re buying is something you’ll enjoy.

After asking us what kind of hair products we would like they introduced us to some brilliant options. As my hair can be quite curly I need something which won’t suck all the moisture out. We were given some options and one of the bars I picked was ‘Jason and the Argan Oil’. The bar is a circular shape which is perfect because when I’m reaching for the soap in the shower I can feel the difference in shapes. Circular for hair shampoo bars and oblong for soap. (I put my shampoo and conditioner on one side of the bath and my soap on the other so I don’t get mixed up and ruin my hair). The shampoo bar is also a hot pink colour as it has rose in it. Making it look lovely.

Once we had picked our shampoo bars I asked where the bath bombs were which make your bath bubbly. We ended up looking at a variety of bubble bars. The person helping us left us to shop as we said were were OK browsing for now.

One of the bubble bars I bought is called ‘Candy Cane’, so naturally it is shaped like a cane and is red and white. It is Christmas after all…. well soon it will be. With this one I will just have to run the cane under the hot water and when I’m happy with the bubblyness of my bath, take it and leave it on the side to dry.

Today’s shopping at Lush was great because there’s no pressure, just people wanting to help. I found it excellent that they recognised straight away that I was stressed and overwhelmed by the shop and instantly made a change. This is such a massive thing to do to ensure a person is able to shop in a way that suits them. The time taken to help me out picking the right soap bars was excellent. I wasn’t over-faced and bombarded with options. I said what I needed and was given plenty of time.

In today’s society I genuinely believe patience is lacking. I think if we all just slowed down a little bit, our over all mindset would be much calmer. Making society happier. We don’t have to rush rush rush. If you give yourself enough time you’re doing yourself a favour.

Thank you again to Lush in White Rose Leeds. I will be shopping again at Lush. Anywhere that gives you a great shopping experience should be returned too. Even if it is their online stores.

Also on our way out I found out why they had closed Debenhams car park. It is also the entrance to Cineworld, and what has come out today? FROZEN 2!!! I’m excited. But closing a whole car park? wow.

I have all the soaps out on my bed and they smell amazing. I’m off to try out that Candy Cane bar. Hopefully relax a little before work tomorrow.

Twitter: @PhilippaB
Insta: @VisuallyImpairedPip

That time of the year…

Hello,

So while I have some energy I will try to write this blog post. I have spent the last few days just taking it easy before I am back into work tomorrow.

As it is getting closer and closer to December, I have started my shopping. I have a few things already and I am no where near done. Every year I keep myself a list of people I am buying for and then add to it as I go along. Yesterday I added a load of stuff to a note which I share with my brother. We know what has been bought and he can see what I’ve spent. He likes to say we have a budget…. one year I said we were all on track…we really weren’t.

I had added the prices up next to the list and then thought it was all correct. I’d gone way over budget. Now, in my deffence I’d sent him a list of the presents in a nice spreadsheet. Which I had not added up properly. Also in my deffence, I have Dyscalculia. Like Dylsexia but for numbers. He wasn’t impressed. I was confused.

Now the moral of this story is, keep a note of all your presents as you go along. So the budget you set yourself can be tracked as you add up your spending. It’s nice to buy people gifts, but you shouldn’t spend beyond your means. Otherwise you’re creating future stress for yourself. Which you do not need come January.

Try to leave yourself plenty of time to wrap your gifts and then you won’t be stressing on the last week before Christmas. I love wrapping gifts. But need to ensure I have the energy, otherwise all of the fun is taken out of it.

One of the big topics at the moment is climate change. So this year, I have decided that any additional wrapping paper I buy to top up last years stash will be recyclable, or recycled paper. The ribbon and the twine I use to decorate my presents will also be of the same kind. I found some great options on Paperchase’s website. They had some with white trees on, polarbear’s and penguins with igloos.

When it comes to gifts I am trying to buy stuff I know wont come is excess plastic. Such as bath bombs. Try Lush, or Yorkshire Soap Company. If you are in the North of England there is a shop in Whitby called Honeyz. Trying to buy from independent shops makes a real difference. Even if it is just a few gifts. When we went to Durham there was a market where I bought some great bath salts and some lovely soap from a company called Durham Soap Company the bath salts came in a little glass jar which I can now reuse.

For another gift I have been back to Atlantic Shore. I have bought two pairs of woollen slippers. You can get them in a variety of colours. They were a great price too.

I am getting tired so I’m going to go. But please don’t leave your shopping too late.
Set yourself a budget, stick to it.
Try reduce your plastic use when buying gifts.
Consider putting a donation in a charity box.

I will be back soon. Sorry there isn’t a weekly post. I’m just very tired at the moment.

Thank you for reading my musings.

Twitter @PhilippaB
Insta @VisuallyImpairedPip

Hello,

A while ago I wrote a blog about a new coffee cup I bought from a charity called Surfers Against Sewage. The blog post should you wish to read it is here.

Since then I have enjoyed using it instead of getting coffee cups to go. The only down side I will say is the sleeve which goes round the cup is not deep enough. So it makes it more difficult to hold for longer.

I have tried out some more things with trying to reduce my use of single use plastic. But before I continue I would once again like to point out that I am doing what I can. I believe that if we all make small changes, little by little we can have a positive impact. We should do what we can within our means, and not do anything which will have a negative impact on our well being.

As I was saying, I found out that teabags can contain small pieces of plastic. I was quite shocked. I love tea. So I decided to get loose leaf tea. I made an investment into a little tea strainer and some generic breakfast tea. While looking on Twitter, Luke (please check out his blogs by the way) was talking about a company called Bird and Blend.

After looking into them I found them to be very interesting. Based in the UK they are a relatively new business. But they are thriving, and I love them. They have so many options for loose leaf tea its amazing! I found they do sell teabags, but looking at those found they are plastic free. Which is wonderful. My favourite tea from them is Dozy Girl. I struggle to fall asleep so was told by a friend to try herbal teas. After trying this particular one I can say I’m well and truly sold. I love how you can subscribe and get your tins refilled. How cool is that? I need to look into this. Christmas is coming.

Changing to loose leaf has allowed me to cut down on my plastic use in the kitchen. The used tea leaves I through outside onto the plants. Then they can go into the soil. It is better than putting it into the bin.

Just making this small change makes me feel better, that I am doing something to help make a difference. It also means I can explore different teas. I do have a lot of tea and need to work my way though it. Then I can order more.

As I was mentioning, we can’t ditch plastic all together. I use a guide cane, which means I use a roller ball tip, made from plastic. But obviously this wears down quite a lot as I use it day in day out. Also it is a necessity for me to be able to get around. It helps me navigate my surroundings. Whats more, as I use it the tip is worn away. So the amount that is recycled is quite a small amount. The cane itself is aluminium. Rather than plastic.

I will continue to try making a difference in my daily life and do what I can. Simple things, like turning the lights off in a room you are not in, using soap rather than plastic bottles (I will write something else on this soon) and phone cases, you get them made of biodegradable plastic or bees wax. Lets not get into an argument with each other about who’d not doing what. If we as consumers spend our money on brands which are doing good, then hopefully change will follow. It can be difficult, which is why I say ‘do what you can within your means and you are making a difference’.

Thank you for reading,

Philippa B 🙂

Twitter: @PhilippaB
Instagram: @VisuallyImpiaredPip

I’m not affiliated with any of these companies or charities. I just love their stuff.