_During these tough financial times banks are even more reluctant to offer loans than ever before. Irresponsible lending by banks helped to fuel the “credit crunch” in the first place, but now, in “post-credit crunch” Britain, when help is needed the most it is even harder to receive it. If your credit rating is not excellent then the likelihood of banks helping you is very slim. This can leave many Britons in dire financial straits, but there is an alternative...


More and more people are turning to quick cash loan companies such as Wonga.com to help them through these tough financial times. Instead of pulling your hair out in frustration at the banks, Wonga.com can offer quick cash loans at a much cheaper rate than many “pay day loan” companies. You can also vary the period over which you repay the money. With no fixed repayment period you get an opportunity to manage repayments in a more affordable way. With a Wonga promo code you can even receive a discount on your loan. With Wonga promo code January 2012, If you spend £50 or more on a short-term loan then you can receive a discount of £5.50. Wonga can approve and transfer their quick cash loans within just 15 minutes, so don't wait for the banks to turn you down again and again, just use a Wonga promo 2012 code to get a quick cash loan today.

I had to laugh last night when I saw the advert for the new range of Renault electric cars. I've always thought that the Mercedes Smart Cars were quite ridiculous. My friend has one, and having been in the car I certainly wasn't impressed by it's sturdiness! I've always thought owning a Smart Car should be a driving offence in itself! Especially ones in silly colours and patterns!

So I was shocked to learn that there is going to be an electric car to buy that is even smaller than a Smart car, and what's more it doesn't even have proper doors and windows so there's no way you could drive this thing in wet and windy Brighton.
The Twizy has a top speed of 50mph so I won't be going around committing any speeding offence in this that's for sure.

Any way, here's a video, it reminds me of a mobility scooter I spotted wizzy down the coast in Eastbourne last week....

Since I had such a great time in Devon when I visited my friend in Exeter, I have decided I am going to stay in Devon for a little longer in the summer next year. My friend said that Exeter is particularly great as a holiday destination, but suggested Dartmouth instead because it is "An area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" and really peaceful. So off I went looking in to how I could book a Dartmouth Holiday. 

I have been looking for Dartmouth Self Catering Cottages and was surprised to find there are quite a lot available. I haven't chosen anywhere yet because I just wanted to have a look, but what did raise a smile was some of the cute names of the cottages that the owners have given them. So I've put together a list of my favourite :)        

Hope Cottage
Oystercatcher
The Porthole
Sunglow
The Captains Locker

No I'm not talking about Steve Jobs here, rest his soul. I am talking about the job market in the UK. I am writing to vent a little steam and frustration, and to put forward my ideas. I have very many friends who are looking for work at the moment. I cannot imagine for one minute how frustrated they must be. Looking for a job is hard enough anyway, without there being hundreds of people to compete with for each vacancy thanks to the credit crunch and the recession.

Looking for a job can be a lonely time. The job centre runs compulsory workshops I am told, but do they run any regular drop in sessions or open door policies to help people who feel isolated and need a bit of motivation and encouragement? My friends tell me that the larger job centres are armed with security guards who growl at you at the door. Now that's not much of a welcome is it. And are there any jobs to be found at the job centre? If you want to earn minimum wage there are plenty of jobs advertised. But are employers with decent career boosting opportunities encouraged enough to work with the job centre? I don't think so.

One poor friend took on a comission only sales job, that he found through the job centre. He worked his socks off for a month only for the "employer" to decide that he wasn't going to pay him anything at all. He had to go weeks without any money, and was back to square one with his confidence and motivation ruined. Thank you job centre.

It seems that there is little interaction between the dreaded job centre (who are actually more of a misery centre) and the people who have or can create the jobs. There are lots of very useful online job boards that showcase some great opportunities, but these websites cost employers quite a lot to advertise on. The government should help to subsidise these types of adverts for small business so that the large job boards can have the best variety of all the jobs available, not just those at the major companies, which, in all honesty may not want to take on someone fresh out of the job centre. My suggetion is, get online before the misery centre sucks you in.
I found my job here: http://jobs.adzuna.co.uk/browse

I haven't written anything about food so far, but I hope to have some recipes up on my blog soon, and some reviews of good restaurants that I come across on my travels. I really like visiting the traditional British pubs as they tend to be very homely indeed. I was searching for an Exeter Restaurant online as I was visiting a friend in Devon and wanted to treat her. I was pleased to find a pub that served traditonal food, and it is such an adorable old place with original features set in a massive garden. The name of the restaurant was the Cowick Barton Inn. We had such a delicious steak there!

Apparently this is also Exeter's Most Haunted Pub!
You can read about it here
http://www.second-devon.co.uk/historic-attractions-devon/join-a-ghost-hunt-at-cowick-barton-inn-in-exeter/

After learning about fixing my own car, I've had a think about my driving skills. I'm trying to fine tunes these a little, as I have got a bit sloppy!

Surveys suggest that over half of drivers in the UK exceed the 30mph speed limit in urban areas at some point when they are driving. This statistic (courtesy of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) shows just how easy it is to fall into the speeding trap and be hounded with penalty points and speeding fines.


What happens if I have been caught speeding?
If you are stopped by police for speeding, you may be given a fixed penalty speeding ticket. However, in cases where you were travelling well above the speed limit, you will have to attend a Magistrates court hearing and will be issued with a court summons at a later date.

Alternatively, you could be caught for a speeding offence by a speed camera where you will not be stopped and notified. Instead, the registered keeper of the car will be sent a notice of intended prosecution form within 14 days. The form will specify what date, time and location the car was caught speeding. You will be required to confirm who the driver was at that time.

Once you have confirmed this, you will either be offered a fixed penalty or a court summons will be issued if you were travelling well above the speed limit.

In all cases you can appeal against the decision and argue your case in the Magistrates Court.

What can be done?  Solicitors can look at the evidence of the device used and give you a breakdown of all the required steps which are required to be able to prosecute you successfully. They can look at simple steps such as whether a valid calibration certificate is in place and more complex procedures such as distance and alignment checks, so you can be confident in the defence of your matter.

What are the punishments for speeding?
Driving offence cases involving low speeds will usually result in three to six penalty points and a speeding fine of up to £2,500.

If you have been convicted of driving well over the speed limit, it is possible for you to be disqualified from driving.

Take care!

A winter wedding
My big sister is getting married in December, of all months. I think it is a nice idea to get married in the winter, as this time of year is very inspirational for a lot of different colour schemes and decoration themes. I'm not sure about the decor that she's having at her wedding, as she is keeping it a secret from everyone! Because the weddings is in the UK and it is likely to be cold, maybe even snow, (that would be nice) my sister decided that we should have her hen weekend abroad and go for somewhere hot.

Tenerife here we come
So last week we all packed our bags and set off to Tenerife. The weather there is lovely all year round so it was the perfect choice to get a bit of sunshine, but is also known as a place that can be good for partying so is perfect for a hen party. We did have to fly a little longer to get some winter sun; the flight time to Tenerife is around 4 and a half hours, compared to the usual trip to Spain which is around 1 and a half hours.

The Day time hen party activity
We wanted to make the most of our time in Tenerife as we were only there for 3 nights, so we allowed 1 day for sunbathing, 1 day for being adventurous and 1 day for being hungover after the hen party night. Our adventurous day was a catamaran cruise, with food and drinks included. It was a fantastic trip in the gorgeous sunshune, sipping sparkling wine on the deck and looking out for dolphins. We sadly didn't see any dolphins, but we did see some flying fish, which until now I was convinced were a real thing!

The night time hen party activity
After we got back from our 3 hour catamaran cruise, we head off to a bar where we had managed to get a late night VIP package with a banner and balloons to help us celebrate and embarrass my sister! We enjoyed the bar, and then head off t a night club, where we had a VIP table booked. Thank goodness we had the table as somewhere to sit down, because after a few shots and a good hour of dancing some of us were feeling a little worse for wear! Thank goodness also that we had saved one of our days for being hungover too, as one or two of the girls were a little bit unwell......

And now for the stag party
We had a really great time at my sister's hen party, although she did miss her fiance quite a lot while we were away. Unfortunately he is about to head off to Las Vegas for his stag party so she'll have to miss him all over again, but after that they will be married and get to spend the rest of their lives together so I am sure she will manage a few days.

Pets are a lovely addition to any family home and can bring us years of fun and happiness. I always had pets as a child, whether they were goldfish, hamsters, or cats, and really enjoyed having something to look after, tell my secrets to and have a cuddle on a cold night. Unfortunately it's a very unllikely scenario that a pet out lives its owner, and there always comes a time when we have to say goodbye to our furry friends.

When I was at University I had a hamster who had been with me for over 3 years, which is very old for a hamster so when he passed away it was very sad as he was quite frail and ill. As I lived on my own and didn't really know what to do, I took my hamster to the vet in the hope they could make him better, but sadly as he was so frail they needed to put him to sleep. Naturally I was devasted as I handed over the little shoe box nest I had made for them to put him in.

As I walked out in to reception to settle the bill, the receptionist ask me if I would "like to keep the body". This shocked me a little as I wasn't prepared for it. In the past when pets had died it had always been at home and my parents had buried them in our garden, so the thought that I'd need to make a decision like this didn't sit well with me. As I was in shock and didn't know how I would bring my poor hamster home and bury him without a garden, I asked that they keep him. I always felt sad about this.

It wasn't until my friend's cat unfortunately had a run in with a car that I learnt about cremation. I was of course aware of humans being cremated and that relatives would keep the remians in cremation urns either at home or in the cemetry. It hadn't really dawned on me that pets could be cremated too, and I guess that's what happened to my hamster a few years ago. If I'd had realised this then I would have asked the vet to organise the cremation for me so that I could collect and keep his ashes. There are lots of cute pet urns available in all sorts of sizes, and I would have been able to get a tiny one that I could keep as a lasting memory of my lovely little hamster.

Losing a pet is always going to be very sad, no matter what type of animal you own, but I guess if we make sure we are as prepared as we can be it will make that time just a little easier for us and the family.

I recently bought a car, which I have been considering for some time. There are lots of reasons against getting a car that older and wiser friends and relatives were keen to remind me of!
Some of the reasons they have told me I shouldn't get a car are:

• Insurance prices in the UK are ridiculous, particularly if like me, you are a young lady without a no claims history
• Parking around here is ridiculous - not only difficult to find a space outside your own house, but also about £2 an hour
• Petrol, thanks to the rise in VAT and extortionate oil prices, is also very expensive
  
• If something goes wrong with the car, it's usually very expensive.
  

Ok so these are valid points that can't be ignored. The first 3 points I can't really argue with, and have had to accept the frustrating costs of parking, petrol and insurance so that I don't have to get the bus everywhere any more. On particularly busy bus journeys, I would have paid £100 for someone to lend me a car so I could leave the bus and drive myself home!

However, the last point, I disagree. It's so easy to buy UK car parts cheaply online these days, I reckon I could at least by the parts myself and ask a friend to fix them for me that going to the mechanics, or I could be brave and have a go at fixing things myself after some thorough research on the internet. I don't think it would be difficult as I have a little Ford KA and there must be loads of info out there about fitting ford car parts. There's also a Ford garage just down the road in case I get stuck, I guess they could always come and tow me there after I've meddled and caused chaos under the bonnet!

Luckliy (touch wood) my car is running fine and the moment and I haven't had any reason to consider fixing it myself. However, when the inevitable strange noises start I'm going to be brave and see what I can fix myself and save myself a whole load of money on the garage costs.

Wish me luck!