Sandie Shaw and the The Millionth Marvell Cooker - Wendy Robertson

Behind this intriguing title lies the tale of the women of Grafton, hard-working and generally hard-done-by girls who spend their days working their fingers to the bone at the Marvell cooker factory. Like in the film The Full Monty, we see the gritty reality of the tough life of these working-class heroes - or rather heroines. This is the mid-1960's and the men may be the ones with all the power but the women are the ones holding things together and getting things done. Despite the advent of the contraceptive pill, as we step behind the scenes - and the front doors - of the factory girls, tales of unwanted pregnancies, backstreet abortionists and extra-marital affairs abound. But in spite of the hardships and difficulties that life throws at them, they are survivors and "keep on keeping on", singing along to the hits of the sixties on the factory tannoy system as they work and taking comfort in the friendships that spring up with their co-workers.

A publicity visit from Sandie Shaw, chart-topper of the time, invited to present the millionth cooker made by the factory to a lucky customer, provides a moment of excitement and agitation, but the working routine continues and for some of the workers, more worried about losing their bonus than slacking off to see a popstar, the media circus is more an inconvenience than a cause for celebration.

The constant shifting of the narrative voice gives us a real insight into a large number of Grafton women, from the lowly factory girl on her holiday job to the boss's wife. Wendy Robertson is a great story-teller and the lives of the main characters, Cassandra, Patsy and Karen, are revealed secret by secret. There are no great dramas - even the Sandie Shaw visit turns out to be a bit of an anti-climax as her arrival is delayed - but the daily ups-and-downs provide more than enough content to keep us interested.

My one little niggle is the front cover, showing a bunch of smiling bathing belles in swimming hats and the words "Heady times in the summer of 1965". The carefree, light-hearted, holiday atmosphere that this suggests has nothing to do with the lifestyle portrayed in the book, where the girls' life revolves around work and they have to make do with the odd trip to the pictures or down to the Gaiety for a dance on a Saturday night.

But you can't judge a book by its cover and this trip down memory lane, with its numerous references to the historical goings-on in the world and the musical soundtrack that accompanied them, shows us an intriguing and endearing slice of real life in the sixties for the working classes.

star rating : 4/5

Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Headline (30 April 2009)
ISBN-10: 0755333799
ISBN-13: 978-0755333790
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 3.2 cm

Full Marks Headlice Treatments

Just from typing "headlice", I now have an itchy head - it's psychological !! But every time the girls come home from school and I see them scratching their heads, I'm sure it isn't psychological and pounce on them with a nit comb just to be on the safe side ! Fingers crossed, they haven't brought home any unwanted visitors yet - and I really don't know how they've managed it, with the number of times the teachers have put up little "headlice alert - please check your child's head" signs in their classroom windows.

Just in case, I always like to keep some headlice treatment on hand in the bathroom. So when I was offered some Full Marks solution and solution spray to test, I jumped at the chance. It's been in my drawers (chest of drawers, not knickers !!) for the past few weeks and I haven't had the need to test it so far. Therefore I can't tell you how effective it is at treating the little critters.

According to the manufacturers, it's clinically proven to kill headlice in ten minutes. Gone are the days, when I was a kid, of having to go to bed with foul-smelling treatment in your hair overnight ! It's really simple to use : "Apply to dry hair, leave for 10 minutes. Comb through hair with comb provided to remove the remains of lice and eggs. Finally wash out using non- conditioning shampoo." Ten minutes later, you should be able to go mwa-ha-ha, bye bye evil little monsters - but just to be sure, it's recommended to redo a treatment after seven days.

What I really like is the fact that it doesn't contain traditional pesticides. Unlike normal headlice treatments that poison the lice (and presumably don't do much good for humans either), Full Marks Solution has a physical action on them that makes them dehydrate and die. Yuck, it sounds like putting salt on slugs and watching them shrivel up (which always used to fascinate me as a child but makes me feel sick now !!)

The treatment can be bought in two forms, as the traditional solution in a squeezy bottle, or as a handy spray, which is much easier to control. Either way, it's an oily liquid that, to my surprise, doesn't smell of anything much (at least in the bottle, I haven't used it on hair yet). The Full Marks Solution (100ml) contains enough for two treatments, and although this isn't indicated on the packaging, the Full Marks Solution Spray must contain at least two treatments, as it contains 150ml. Whichever version you buy, it comes with a really handy nit comb for eliminating eggs and dead lice.

Due to its lack of pesticides, it's suitable for anyone over the age of two, even for children who suffer from eczema or asthma.

If your children have got headlice, the chances are they're feeling sorry for themselves and/or embarrassed. They might like the games on the Full Marks website - there's a wordsearch, a quiz and a dot-to-dot to download which should take them about ten minutes, just time for the treatment to work !

RRP :

FULL MARKS solution with comb 100ml : £5.99 (other sizes available)

Full Marks Solution Spray with comb 150ml : £11.73

star rating : 4.5/5 (for lack of smell, presentation and lack of traditional pesticides but I haven't tested it for efficiency yet)

Sterimar Isotonic Nasal Hygiene Spray

Question : What do bidets, stinky cheese, horsemeat and frogs' legs have in common ? Answer : You don't have to be French to appreciate them but it helps ! And squirting sea water up your nose to help prevent and cure runny or stuffy noses is another French thing ! When it comes to dealing with their health, French people are willing to put up with whatever it takes - quite literally "put up" when it comes to suppositories !! So using Sterimar is widespread and has been so for generations. My French in-laws fell on the floor laughing at my strange Britishness when I said "eeuurgghhh that's disgusting" the first time they offered me a bottle when I had a cold !



The science behind the product is perfectly simple : "Sterimar Isotonic Seawater-based Nasal Microspray is ideal for ENT (ear, nose and throat) disorders and daily nasal hygiene. It acts as a nasal cleanser, removing dirt, excess mucus and irritants. Sterimar Isotonic contains a dilution of 31.8% of seawater in purified water containing approximately: 959mg of Sodium Chloride in 100ml solution. Sterimar Isotonic comes in a pressurised aerosol which delivers a micro-fine spray, which gently and safely clears out the nasal passage. Its unique patented nozzle fits all nostril sizes, safely and comfortably, from babies to adults. An automatic sealing valve prevents contamination of the remaining solution so that each spray is aseptic. "

My French hubby and his parents swear by it and start gaily squirting at the first sign of a sniffle. I still see it as a warped version of colonic irrigation of the nasal passages and keep up my "résistance" - although I have to admit, I did use it when suffering from hayfever while pregnant. Unable to take any antihistamines, I was really suffering but the nasal spray - perfectly safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women as it's just purified seawater - dampened down and washed out all the pollen, giving instant relief.

My French doctor grins every time one of the kids has a cold and puts it on the prescription, saying "I know you won't use it because you think it's disgusting but you should, it really works !" I can never bring myself to squirt it up baby Pierre's nose as, judging by his screams and squirms, he thinks it's some new kind of torture - but then again, the alternatives (using a nasal aspirator or watching him struggle to feed with a bunged up nose) aren't much better.

From looking on the website, I've just noticed that it can also help to alleviate snoring so I might have to try and convince Mike to squirt some up his nose before going to bed !!

If you can get past the idea of squirting water up your nose, it's a good product - "prevention is better than cure" so you can either wait to get a stuffy nose or just integrate it into your daily hygiene routine.

star rating : 4/5


RRP : £6.49 (for 100ml)

available at Boots, Lloyds Chemists and independent pharmacies

Seven Seas Femibion Energetic Mum supplement

Do you remember Lynette in the first couple of seasons of Desperate Housewives, forever running around after her kids, who were always getting into trouble, trying to keep her house in order and hold down a job ? Well, that's about how I feel most of the time !! So this product sounds like it is targetted specifically at me : "Running around looking after a growing baby and infant in the first few years of motherhood can really take it out of you. It may be rewarding, but it can also be tiring. And it never stops! Being a busy mum can place huge demands on body and mind, which is why it’s important to take good care of yourself and follow a nutritious and well balanced diet. And there can be other pressures which may get in the way, which is when a supplement may be a useful choice."

OK, I'm convinced I need it - but what is it exactly ? Let's look on the website. It's "the first multi-nutrient probiotic specifically formulated for busy mums" - ummmm ok. It contains " a combination of probiotics, CoQ10 and further necessary nutrients like iron and zinc." OK, still not really any the wiser though. "Independent research has shown that the specially selected probiotics help support the body’s natural defence system while CoQ10 helps the body to release energy." Ah, that makes more sense - so it should help stop me getting sick and also get me a bit more energy. Sounds good.

As I'm still breastfeeding, the first thing I now do is scour the packaging to see if it's safe (you'd be surprised what isn't) - and yes, it's perfectly ok to take it while breastfeeding. Maybe it'll even filter through and boost Pierre's immune system too - two for the price of one !!

The tablets are quite large but I was amazed at how easy they are to swallow. You just need to take one a day with a cold drink - none of that faffing around of having to take them at mealtimes, when you've got other things to think about (like getting food plated up and into kids while it's still hot !). They don't really taste of anything and don't have the horrible "musty ferns" after-taste that some supplements have.

They cover 100% of your recommended daily allowance for Vitamin E, Thiamin (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc and Coenzyme Q10. There are also 10 million Tribion Harmonis Probiotic Cultures in each tablet, which sounds pretty impressive.

So do they work ? Well, despite the name, they won't turn you into The Bionic Woman (remember her ? she could run faster than a speeding car, now that would have impressed the kids !!) but so far (touch wood) I haven't come down with the sniffles that seem to be doing the rounds. I took one the other day after crawling out of bed for the school run after a practically sleep-free night (note to self - if Pierre falls asleep too early straight after his bath, do not let him sleep through, wake him up !!) and although I didn't start doing cartwheels around the room, I think it did slightly take the edge off my exhaustion. After pregnancy and possibly breastfeeding, your body could probably do with recharging its depleted stocks of vitamins too, so it's got to be a good idea.

RRP: £9.99 (for 30 tablets)

star rating : 4/5

Anorak children's magazine

When I was a teenager, calling somebody an anorak was insulting - it was basically like calling them a trainspotter (no offence to any trainspotters who might be reading this !) or a Norman-no-mates (no offence to anyone called Norman reading this either !!). So I wasn't sure how appealing this magazine would be. The answer is ... extremely ! And what I love is that it is appealing to parents just as much as kids. (Unless it's just me because I'm a big kid at heart ! )

It doesn't look anything like other kids' magazines. Firstly the paper is thick and luxurious and hardwearing, so it's a magazine you can read and thumb through over and over again - unlike most other children's magazines that immediately get ripped when the inevitable plastic free toy on the front cover is pulled off and whose staples fall out scattering flimsy pages everywhere, which then get screwed up and ripped and end up fit for the bin before half of them have even been read !

Secondly, the colours and artwork are very funky and almost psychedelic. It's called "The Happy Mag for Kids", which immediately sounded like it had hippy-overtones to me ! Unlike most children's magazines, the artwork and illustrations all the way through look "homemade", and they inspired Sophie to sit down and copy them.

It looks to me like a children's mag modelled on grown-up magazines. Partly because of the size and number of pages, but also the full page adverts. At first, this put me off, but Sophie actually loved them - the cheeky children modelling the H&M clothes do fit in nicely with the "happy kids" theme and she hadn't actually realised they were adverts ! The tone of the magazine is very grown-up too, dealing - in a very kid-friendly way - with complex themes like Darwin's theory of evolution.

Each issue has a central theme and this time it was insects - something that the girls would usually be put off by - but they sat down and read it cover to cover, hoovering up information. I have read dozens of magazines with the girls over the years, seeing it as one of my mum duties, but this is the first time I've actually really enjoyed the experience for myself, not just for seeing the pleasure it gave them but also because it had me intrigued, interested and giggling too !

As a mum, I loved the Munkie & Horace photo-story that reminded me of reading Jackie and Just 17 photo-stories in the 1980's ! I also love the Make a Bug and Build your own Astro-gnome pages that are reminiscent of "sticky-backed plastic"-fuelled Blue Peter projects of my youth ! The girls thought the tales of Sidney the Silly Splinge were "really really funny", Harold the Hiccup was "very very funny when he hiccupped and his hair flew off and a bit rude when he talks about Billy the Burp" (cue fits of giggles) and the close-up photos and facts about insects were "eurrggghh disgusting" (cue "wow, look at this mum"!)

There are lots of short stories that would appeal to young children, but also some longer ones for more advanced readers (or for mum or dad to read out loud). Each issue really packs it all in, also offering activity pages (colouring, maze, spot the difference, ...), poems and a beetle game (more nostalgia for mum !!)

When I first saw the RRP of £3.50 on the front cover, I thought it was overpriced but having spent a whole week dipping in with the kids and having them in fits of giggles each time, I have to say it is worth every penny. Especially as I've been reading it when they're in bed as well !!

for more info see http://www.anorak-magazine.co.uk

(If you go to http://www.anorak-magazine.co.uk/issues, you could even have a sneaky peek at several of the pages, including the Sidney the Silly Splinge story that made Juliette laugh so much, she almost wet her knickers !!!)

RRP £3.50

star rating : 5/5

Jangneus Design eco-cleaning cloths - Swedish Kitchen Culture !

I love stuff that is funky AND functional and these environmentally-friendly cleaning cloths certainly tick both boxes. Made from natural materials (cellulose, which is a by-product from paper making, and recycled cotton), they are washable (up to 60°) - which means you can use them for longer, sticking them in the washing machine rather than the bin when they start getting a bit slimy or pongy ! - and when they've reached the point of no return, they are 100% biodegradable so you can fling them on the compost heap, feeling smug and happy that you haven't added to the growing landfill problem.


They arrived nicely wrapped in green ribbon, looking so much more impressive than the usual plastic-wrapped dishcloths you buy in the supermarket. I love the cute designs on them - it put a smile on my face whenever I went to the kitchen to do the washing-up and wipe down the surfaces, and that's no mean feat !





The funky designs are available in a choice of colours - blue, green, purple, black, yellow and red - and ten different designs : a heart, flowers, leaves, flower doodles, stars, stripes, spots, fish and a bird, so you can grab a selection and give your kitchen a mini-makeover whenever you feel like a change . You also have the option of colour-coding your cloths for optimising hygiene, using for example yellow for the worktops, green for the washing up, black for the doggy paw prints, blue for the toilet ! This would avoid nasty mix-ups and contamination when someone inevitably uses the wrong cloth !


They are very absorbent but also dry out quickly in between uses. They seem to be quite hard-wearing and look like they should last for quite a while. I love the exotic aspect - "made in Sweden and printed by hand in the Cotswolds". Ikea, eat your heart out !!



For something a bit different, you can buy a "cloth gift subscription" on their website and get a fresh clean cloth delivered to the person of your choice (or yourself) every month. That could be good for that hard-to-buy-for person at Christmas !

Delivery is free within the UK and prices range from £1.75 - £2.50, depending on the number of cloths ordered.

star rating : 4.5/5

Colour Buddy

At first glance, if I'm totally honest, I must admit I wasn't overly impressed by these large colouring sheets. But they kind of suck you in ! Do you remember the Magic Eye pictures, where you had to stare at a graphic mess until your eyes started watering and going blurry and then suddenly, miraculously, just as you thought you'd have to blink or your eyeballs would dry out, a totally invisible picture suddenly appeared out of nowhere and made you go "oooh oooh I can see it, I can see it ... can you ?"! Well, this is similar. The more you look at it - especially if you step back and look from a couple of feet away - the more you can see because the pictures sort of merge into each other and make new pictures and shapes. Also, different people see different things so it's fun to compare notes and explain what you see as you gaze into the picture !


According to the website, "Colour Buddy can help with concentration, behaviour, memory skills, hand-eye co-ordination and team building." The designer, Michael Harman, says : "Teachers have been amazed how engrossed children become when given Colour Buddy to do and how well they interact with their peers and siblings". And that is what totally amazed me. Juliette (aged 4) and Sophie (aged 8) spent a whole rainy Sunday afternoon colouring in together, whereas they would normally lose interest after a couple of pages of a normal colouring book.



We started off with the Imagination Poster game, a hectic A1 sized black and white poster made up of hundreds of small drawings in which you have to find 58 small pictures. It's just like a Where's Wally book - it'll drive you insane but it's strangely addictive, for children and adults alike ! It was good as a family game, with no complicated rules so even the youngest children could join in, and making it a bit competitive by seeing who could find the most pictures. (A simple way of keeping score is one coloured pencil per person and you colour in the little picture you've found in the big picture and also around the edge.)





When tempers started fraying (because Juliette kept colouring in things that weren't in the 58 things to find !) and Sophie started looking seriously boggled-eyed whenever she looked up (!), I decided it was time to move on to the gentler, slightly less crazy Fashion Garden. This time, there were no items to find so no competitive element - it was just time for some nice friendly colouring-in together as a family. It was lovely to all sit down together around the table and work together as a team with no bickering ! And as with the Imagination Poster game, different people see different things and images sort of emerge as you're colouring, so it keeps everyone interested for ages. The final piece of artwork can be hung up on the fridge door as a reminder of how lovely things can be when we all work together as a team and make a combined effort (I can dream !!)


They're quite pricey but for a peaceful afternoon of nice playing together as a family, it's a small price to pay !

star rating : 4/5

RRP :


Colour Buddy®™: The Imagination Poster game - Poster Size A1 £7.99


Colour Buddy®™: Fashion Garden - Poster Size A2 £5.99

Snack Trap - Anti-Spill Snack Cup

To quote the website : "A unique cup and lid design that allows little hands in and out to get to their snacks but keeps snacks from spilling out when cup is turned over. Use at home, in the car and when out and about !" How's that for a genius idea ?!! Another one that has got to have been devised by a mum, I'm sure of it !

My first thought (after wow, what a fabulous idea, why didn't I think of that ?) was that the lid would end up getting split or lost or forced open too wide by over-eager little hands. But replacements are available to buy separately, along with other handly little add-ons like tether straps to attach it to a pushchair. It just gets better and better ! My favourite optional extra has to be the Snack-Trap Accessory Lid Pack - one snack-trap lid, one stay-fresh lid (for an air-tight seal) and one sip lid, to transform it into a sippy cup. That makes it a fantastic space-saver for shoving in your handbag or changing bag for mess-free snacks AND drinks on the go - brilliant !

The opening works just like the holes on tea-towel holders that you put on the kitchen wall ! They are perfectly sized for little hands but too big to stop mummy-sized hands reaching over and pinching toddler-snacks - so it was a big hit with Juliette who said "ha ha, you can't pinch my Poppets any more Mummy" !!

The claim that there will be no spills, even when turned upside down, sounds like a challenge that definitely needs putting to the test - so we did ! With the aforementioned Poppets (which, if you don't know, are about the size of small Maltesers), there were no spills, even when I jiggled it about TRYING to make them fall out !! Obviously, if you use tiny-sized snacks like coco pops, a few will probably slip through the holes, but it works much better than I expected.

The cute animal pictures appeal to toddlers and with the wide base, it's not easy to knock easy. The two handles make it easy to hold so most of the time, they'll be eating on the run anyway ! Brilliant for mums, who will have less messy spills to tidy up, and also for young children, who love the extra responsibility of being allowed to eat their snacks in peace without constant yells of "careful you don't spill it" and "mind ! it's on the edge of the table, it'll get knocked over" !!

RRP £3.99

Huggalugs - Organic Baby/Child Legwarmers and Leg Ruffles

As a child, I wanted to be Doris from The Kids From Fame (I bet I still know all the words to High Fidelity !) so I love the new Fame-inspired fashion revival that is currently big news. I wasn't sure what the girls would make of them though !

As soon as they arrived, they grabbed a pair each - no squabbling for once ! Sophie (age 8) grabbed the hot pink leg ruffles and Juliette (age 4) ran off with the Lilac Daisy legwarmers. Then they both came running back and said "errr Mum, what do we do with them ? Are they socks ? Because they haven't got feet" !!!

I explained the art of wearing legwarmers rolled down around your ankles, but said that the website said you could wear them in other ways too : as "a great second layer under trousers or coats (for arms) to keep out the cold", to keep toddlers legs safe when crawling and warm when sitting on the potty (they found this idea hysterically funny !), even on their arms if they wanted. As you can see from the photos, they immediately adopted them - and they've barely taken them off all week !

Juliette declared that she could wear her summer shorts to the park on a gusty autumn day if she was wearing her legwarmers right the way up her legs (and I have to admit, it did work !!). They are fabulous for holding wrapped-up jeans bottoms inside welly boots to avoid rubbing. Sophie loved them as extra padding inside her rollerblades, which always leave sore red marks on her legs where they're a bit tight, and on her arms just before bed when she was "too hot for her dressing gown but too cold without it" ! They came in handy at handwashing time for keeping sleeves rolled up and out of the water. I also love the fact that they are so easy to pull on too - a lot simpler than tights that are almost impossible for Juliette to put on by herself without getting seriously frustrated (and then ending up with them so twisted I have to pull them off and start all over again anyway !)

The website says that Huggalugs are made from 80% Cotton, 15% Nylon and 5% Spandex and their Planet Organic label comes from the fact that they are knitted with IMQ certified Organic Cotton. The cotton legwarmers are lovely and warm, stay up all day (better than most socks !) and feel really soft. There are some really gorgeous designs too - as well as the Lilac Daisy pattern modelled by Juliette, there are pink butterflies, peace signs, even monkey faces (which would be great for little boys).

They explain that Legruffles are "legwarmers knitted with a cotton blend yarn, giving a soft, flowing feel to the final finish". Sophie, being a major tomboy despite her girlie/princessy/sparkly side, was a bit heavy handed and managed to ladder then the first time she put them on. Luckily, I'm a dab hand with a needle and thread and managed to do some invisible mending that put a smile straight back on her face.

The girls love the funky designs, I love the fact that they have a million uses (many of them time-saving or whinge-avoiding !) and I also love their ethics. "All Huggalugs products are a direct response to issues faced by pregnant women and new mothers. Huggalugs strives to be environmentally aware and socially conscious and uses local manufacturers and environmentally sustainable materials in their designs wherever possible with the aim of providing functional, funky and practical solutions for parents."

Thumbs up all round !

star rating : 5/5

RRP £6.99

The Handbag and Wellies Yoga Club - Lucy Edge

"Can a city girl flower in pastures new ? ... What happens when an urban girl swaps her kitten heels in the city for karma in the country?" The title, strapline and front cover all give the impression that this is going to be your usual work of chicklit, so as I pulled it off the bookshelf, I was expecting romantic tales of rolling in the hay with the local hunky gentleman farmer and a modern, sexed-up version of The Good Life ! So I was surprised to see that this is actually a memoir, where Lucy Edge relates, with heart-wrenching honesty, her problems with infertility.

Having been a career girl and travelled the world, Lucy, now in her early forties and having found her man, decides it's time to move to the country and get on with having kids. She is stunned and angered to learn that one of the celeb-mummies' best-kept secrets is that, despite what the glossy mags would have you believe, you have only a 4% chance of having a baby after the age of 40, even with IVF. Why are women not told this, so that they can take the necessary measures, such as freezing their eggs, before it's too late ? That is a very good point and hopefully, this book will make a few women sit up and listen and react, avoiding themselves some heartache further down the line.

This is a true life story so she doesn't get her "and they had lots of children and all lived happily ever after" happy ending. But that is not to say that it is a depressing, tragic tale. Supported by her fellow "Bad Girls" yoga-friends and bolstered by a few spiritual epiphanies, she manages to work through the pain and disappointment to find acceptance, contentment and an alternative happy ending. It's actually a very positive, uplifting, empowering story.

Yoga plays a big part in the book - when she's looking for new friends, she realises that her "tribe", where she will find her soulmates, are almost certainly hanging out at the local yoga classes. The closest I have ever come to anything vaguely relating to yoga is watching an episode of Yogi Bear and Booboo (!), so the many references to positions were totally lost on me, but her straight-talking, light-hearted way with words had me hooked right up until the end.

Lucy's previous book, Yoga School Dropout, focused on her yoga experiences in India. Her fans who come to this book expecting more tales of yoga and mysticism may be disappointed, as it focuses more on the other aspects of her life. But that opens up a whole new "mainstream chicklit" market and I'm sure many new readers will discover and thoroughly enjoy Lucy's funny, warm and engaging style of writing. Not at all what I expected but a great read nonetheless.

star rating : 4.5/5

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Ebury Press (6 Aug 2009)
ISBN-10: 009193009X
ISBN-13: 978-0091930097