Mental Health is something that is incredibly important to me, and I'm delighted to be working with author Marie Miguel, who, over at Better Help, has played a part in creating a huge free online mental health advice library that anyone can access. Here she writes about something very familiar to me, and anyone else with grown up children - the time when they move out... and how that can affect all of the relationships in the home. 

Coping With An Empty Nest And Maintaining Strong Relationships

For many parents, there seems to be an unseen countdown to the day when you no longer have your kids in the house. There will no longer be shouting from the other end of the house, an extra pair of shoes at the door, or a cluttered bedroom to clean. Instead, what is there to expect? And are you ready to take on that new step in life after they’re grown and on their own? Here’s how you can cope with empty nest syndrome and effectively maintain a strong relationship with your kids.

UK COVID Briefing 23rd June 2021 - NOT with Boris...

UK Cases: 4,667,870 (+16,135)
Losses of Life: 128,027 (+19)
In Hospital: 1,508 (Monday 21st June)
Using a Ventilator: 227 (Monday 21st June)
At least 1 vaccine dose: 43,448,680 (82.5% of UK adults)
Two vaccine doses: 31,740,115 (60.3% of UK adults)

3 out of every 5 UK adults have now had both doses of a COVID vaccine.

Some extra surge testing Bingo winners today, and they're over the border from me, in Yorkshire. From 24 June, all adults living in these areas should take a PCR test:
Wakefield North, South & East
Pontefract North & South

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 9th October 2020.

The UK added 13,864 cases today and now has reported a total of 575,679 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 285,015 tests yesterday. 

3,660 people were in hospital on Wednesday 7th, with 436 using a ventilator yesterday. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 87 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 42,679 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Up until Friday 35th September, we had lost 57,347 people who had COVID noted on their death certificate. 

Rep. Of Ireland 40,703 (+617) cases and 1,821(+4) losses of life.

There have now been a total of 36,950,832 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,069,577. Already 27,782,381 people have recovered.

"An estimated 224,400 people (95% credible interval: 203,800 to 245,700) within the community population in England had the coronavirus (COVID-19) during the most recent week, from 25 September to 1 October 2020, equating to around 1 in 240 people (95% credible interval: 1 in 270 to 1 in 220).
The estimate shows the number of infections has increased rapidly in recent weeks."
UK Office For National Statistics. 

Today's independent (not-Government) SAGE group briefing started with a warning that I think won't surprise anyone. This is "not a good news week." It was Dr Alice Roberts presenting though, so that made it a little better.
Test and Trace mislaid almost 16,000 cases, results for contact tracing are the worst ever. The time taken to receive results is longer than previously. It's not gone well.
ONS results out today show that cases are rising really rapidly, and doubling around every 2 weeks. The Public Health England REACT Study suggests doubling around 3 weeks, but with massive regional differences.
Northern Ireland has seen a very rapid rise in cases.

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 7th / 8th October 2020.

The UK added 17,540 cases today and now has reported a total of 561,815 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 254,579 tests yesterday. 

3,412 people were in hospital on 6th October, with 442 using a ventilator yesterday. 

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 77 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 42,592 officially reported losses of life in all settings. 

We have a new figure today, and that is people for whom COVID was mentioned on the death certificate. The total up until Friday 25th September is 57,347.

Rep. Of Ireland 39,584 cases and 1,816 losses of life. (Not yet reported today.) 

There have now been a total of 36,591,174 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 1,063,529. Already 27,548,442 people have recovered.

It may be about to get a bit harder in England, especially for people in the North. As per usual, the UK Government haven't made any public announcements, they've just leaked it to their favourite Fleet Street hamster cage liners. Manchester, Liverpool and Newcastle have the highest rates of infection in the UK, and word is, the health system is beginning to feel the weight of the increased hospital admissions, so pubs and hospitality are about to be ordered to close. The affected Mayors are yet again complaining that despite meetings with government ministers this week, this was not discussed. They also found out when they read this morning's papers...  

The UK Government are thrashing out arrangements for their Tiers of Restriction/Intervention plan. We are expecting a Coronavirus Briefing any day to announce exactly what the Tiers will be, and which areas will fall under which tier.
No school will be closed except as a last resort, but it doesn't look as promising for pubs, bars and restaurants, and other hospitality and leisure. 

 COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 25th September 2020.

The UK added 6,874 cases today and now has reported a total of 423,236 positive cases of COVID-19. We completed 245,363 tests yesterday.

1,616 people were in hospital on Wednesday 23rd (up from 1,020 a week earlier), with 243 using a ventilator yesterday (up from 127 a week earlier).

(Today it's Scotland who have a technical problem, and are unable to report people lost to COVID). In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, the UK (excluding Scotland) officially reported the loss of another 34 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 41,936 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland +326) cases and 1,797 losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 32,564,743 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 989,815. Already 24,048,380 people have recovered.

"Early next week the world will cross 1m reported COVID19 deaths.
If we continue at the current pace we will end up with 1.5m reported deaths by the end of the year.
It is those 500,000 lives that we can help to save with our actions in the next three months."
Dr Tedros, Head of WHO

The Independent SAGE Group briefing today wasn't as bad as you might think. Yes, cases are going up, but there's a possibility it's slowed slightly during September. UK data is really not the most helpful, so everything is a 'possible', but what we can see implies we've gone up to 7 days  doubling time, slowed a little over the past couple of weeks, and over the last couple of days it's speeding up again. Their estimates are pretty similar to the UK Gov, in that we have an average doubling time currently of around 8 days, and are heading towards 1,000 new hospital admissions per day by mid October. (This was the point that we were at when we locked down in March).
There's a massive number of new cases in the 17-24 age group, which correlates with reopening of Universities. It's particularly obvious in Scotland.
The Netherlands opened Universities on 2nd September. Almost 40% of their outbreaks are currently in education, mainly Universities.
Testing data suggests that care homes are being prioritised, but it's hard to really tell for certain. Although cases have spread from young people to older age groups, the over 70's aren't yet being really affected - a very good thing.
ONS data suggests only 10% of people are isolating properly after contact with an infected person. We need to get support systems in place to enable people to do this, and they need to have better understanding of why they should self-isolate, even if they feel well. 

Professor Gabriel Scally, Royal Society Of Medicine, talked about a paper he's recently released called "A Deliberate Population Immunity Strategy Before A Vaccine - Why It Wouldn't Work And Why It Shouldn't Be Tried." I think you get the gist already... It's not just about the thousands of people who would die. He mentions long-term effects and says we simply don't know what they will be, and it's even possible that people whose brain is affected now may suffer decades into the future. We have no idea. It's too risky. He's quite blunt. "We haven't really tried to suppress this virus." (Tell it like it is!) Then he talked about Sweden, which made me feel smug, because last night I wrote up the paragraphs about Sweden which you'll find below... 

COVID-19 Coronavirus UK and World News update 23 /24 September 2020.

The UK dashboard is 'experiencing technical difficulties' today, so the information is incomplete. 

The UK added 6,634 cases today and now has reported a total of 416,363 positive cases of COVID-19.

In the 24 hours up until 5pm yesterday, we officially reported the loss of another 40 people who have tested positive to COVID-19 within 28 days. We now very sadly have a total of 41,902 officially reported losses of life in all settings.

Rep. Of Ireland 33,994 (+318) cases and 1,797(+3) losses of life. 

There have now been a total of 32,246,557 reported cases worldwide. The number of people who have lost their lives worldwide to COVID-19 is 984,180. Already 23,783,826 people have recovered.

"For the next 6 months at least, the virus and restrictions are going to be a fact of our lives."
Rishi Sunak, UK Chancellor. 

There was a 3pm UK briefing with Rishi Sunak. His style is the opposite of Boris, and he belted through his speech in just over 90 seconds. He announced 5 new measures today to support business and people's jobs:
- Job Support Scheme will start in November and last at least 6 months.
- Extending the self-employed scheme
- Pay As You Grow - up to 10 years to pay 'bounce back' loans.
- Extra time to pay deferred taxes
- Cancelling the planned rise in VAT for hospitality and tourism
The big one for employees is the Job Support Scheme - and the BBC and others made a right mess of trying to decipher this earlier, so fingers crossed I don't. . .
Under the scheme an employee has to be working a minimum of one third (33%) of their usual hours, for their regular pay from their employer. The government and employer will then each pay 1/3 of the shortfall in usual wages (and the employee will lose 1/3 of their shortfall). What this actually means when you sort out the maths is:

If an Employee works 1/3 of their usual hours (33%).
Employer pays 55% of their usual wages
Government pay 22% of their usual wages
Employee receives 77% of their usual wages (just over three quarters).

*If an Employee worked 1/2 their usual hours (50%)
Employer pays 67% of their usual wages
Government pay 17% of their usual wages
Employee receives 83% of their usual wages (just over four fifths)

Hope that makes sense!
The government contribution is capped at £697.92 a month.
He basically acknowledged that they can't just support all businesses forever, when we don't know what the future holds. This scheme is for 'viable business' - for example your employer can't be making redundancies and applying at the same time.
The Autumn budget has been cancelled. 

We love Big Potato Games. Perfect for a household where the kids are getting older, all of their games have easy to learn rules, instant play and make you laugh. This bundle has 3 of our favourites - 20 Second Showdown, What Came First? and my personal favourite, the gloriously packaged Blockbuster Movie Game.


Big Potato have sent us a lot of games for review over the past couple of years, and these are 3 excellent choices which we've all really enjoyed, so I'm delighted that they have offered to send this bundle of 3 games (worth almost £65rrp) as a Christmas Present to one of my readers.

Blackpool-based ARTdiscount stock a huge range of art supplies, including their own brand range of products, at great prices. We're delighted to be working with them on another giveaway, for a Student's Art Bundle.

Students can get through art supplies more quickly than just about anyone else, and they can have the tightest budgets. ARTdiscount have put together a great bundle of products which would be handy for anyone, and ideal for students...


At retailers recommended prices the bundle would cost almost £60 (you'd save around £20 buying at ARTdiscount), and includes:

Derwent Academy Watercolours 12 set
Staedtler x18 watercolour brush pens
ARTdiscount own brand Watercolour/ Gouache brushes
Daler-Rowney x24 Artists' Sketching & Graphic Pencils

Student Nannies has recently launched in the Manchester area, with the aim to pair up families needing babysitters with students who have childcare experience and other additional skills to offer.

Imagine a babysitter who can help your child with their science project or maths homework. Someone who can play football, piano or chat to them in Spanish.


Student Nannies are all students looking to earn a little extra to supplement their loans, and all have plenty of proven experience with children, as well as being ID checked and background checked (real-time checks on global Watch Lists, Politically Exposed Persons and Adverse Media).

Every Student Nanny applicant is interviewed by a mum or teacher before they are added to the site and they're quite strict. Among other things the applicant has to have "fluent spoken English, babysitting experience, the ability to think on their feet and a kind, calm manner".

Every time a Student Nanny is employed to look after children, the parents can give feedback, so you can be assured that the person who turns up at your door has been peer-tested and not found wanting. Parents can also ask Student Nannies for references from other parents, and any additional checks Student Nannies have will be shown on their profiles (DBS checks, 1st Aid Certificate, Life Guard qualification etc.).

Vanilla Underground call themselves the home of officially licensed merchandise for all the family and to prove it have sent us a big bundle of items - including something for everyone here. Favourite TV, movie, book, music and game characters on pyjamas, t-shirts, stationery, backpacks, lunchboxes and more...


I gave Vanilla Underground a rough idea of what sort of things we like, plus some sizes, and so our package was mainly a surprise parcel. It was a pleasant surprise too - we were delighted! First up, our 9 and 10 year old boys. Minecraft Pyjamas for the pair of them.


A big hit - I've already washed both pairs twice. No runs, loose threads or shrinkage, I'm pleased with the quality. My 10 year old's pyjamas are quite thick too, ideal for Winter despite the short sleeves. The same goes for the 5 Nights At Freddy's pyjamas in the photo below - great cold weather lounging pyjamas.

Modelling so that you can actually see the pictures on the pyjamas isn't their strong point...

My entire household love Big Potato Games. They make and distribute slightly more grown up games, with an element of adult humour and understanding that makes them ideal for teenagers and young people, or for playing together with your older children. We've been sent Dan and Phil's Truth Bombs to review. A 14+ rated game for 4-8 players which is incredibly easy to play straight out of the box and it's a massive hit here.


Inside the box you have everything you need to play: 70 double-sided Question Cards, 7 Coloured Card Mats, 160 'Target' (or Answer) Sheets, 8 Pencils, A Scorepad and the very short Rules.


The double-sided Question Cards have print repeated upside down at the opposite end - like a playing card, you can read from either side of the table. This stops everyone constantly picking them up to read them. Genius move.

It's been a little while since I reviewed a cookery book, but I've dusted off my apron for Karen Burns-Booth's debut cookbook, Lavender & Lovage: A Culinary Notebook Of Memories And Recipes From Home And Abroad. I think the title pretty much says it all really...


I read Karen's blog even before I had The Brick Castle and her food is good, unpretentious, tasty fare. Born in South Africa, she's lived in countries all over the world and has soaked up the food from every one. This is a gigantic recipe book with around 160 recipes. Alongside are snippets giving history, origins or a short tale about the recipe or it's ingredients. They're short and sweet, and really do add to the dish, often giving useful hints for home cooks too.

Back in September we waved 3 of our young people off to uni, 2 of them as Freshers starting their 1st Year. Before she went I had a special 'goodbye tea' with my daughter and last Friday we turned the tables. It was my turn to visit her at Uni and she had to cook for me. I also had a peep in her kitchen cupboards to see if she really is eating healthily...


My daughter had mock exams until late afternoon, so I met her straight afterwards at the Student Union. There's a Co-op food store really close by and we headed over there and picked up the ingredients. It's a gorgeous Co-op with loads of space...


The Co-op are working with MOB Kitchen and you may have seen one of the crew, Ben, in the October issue of Co-op magazine (found in-store). They've put together a collection of recipes that are easy to make, healthy and filling, and so we decided to choose a recipe from the list.

I have 3 young adults off to uni this September and 2 of them are freshers in their first year. It's a scary time for them, but also for me, and I've tried to prepare them all for independence as best I can. This includes making sure they can cook themselves something hearty and filling without breaking the bank or missing out on the nutrition they'll need to stay healthy.


I'm delighted to be working with Co-op Food on a campaign to get students cooking and eating healthy meals. It really is something I'm passionate about and I've even put together all of my family's favourite and most-used recipes, as well as a few others, on my recipes page. I have tried to keep costs down, skill levels easy and nutritional value high. There is rarely a prouder moment than when I discover one of my young people cooking from one of my recipes.


The Co-op meanwhile show their commitment to students by offering a 10% discount at over 2000 stores nationwide with a TOTUM card (previously called NUS Extra). This starts at £12 a year, so you can get your money back very quickly just on Co-op food shopping. That's on top of the regular Co-op member rewards.

I am not really enjoying this 'back to school' thing. I miss my kids in the day time and my house is too quiet. I have to get used to the quiet though, as our 19 year old is going back to uni soon and our 23 year old is about to move out. One of the other big kids already moved out this Summer, so we will have only 3 children at home. It's been a long time since I was responsible for washing, cooking and cleaning for just 5 people and it's going to be a real decrease in workload.

I've decided I'm going to take that spare time between the hours of 11pm and 1am - sleeping. I have a lot of catching up to do...

We always knew this day would come and our young people would start making their own way in life, you joke about it from when they're small, and you already see just how much you'll miss them. It turns out it's actually more scary than you anticipate - you worry you'll discover that they lived on Doritos for 3 months (this happened) and haven't changed their jeans in 3 weeks (this is in question)...

And then they manage fine for a whole year (this really happened!) and you realise that actually they can do this. They're the adult now.


This is the 1400th post on The Brick Castle. I wrote a special post for my 1000th blog post, and 400 later, I'm still here. Especially now when my 'not-so-young people' are spreading out away from us, I am thankful for every post. Every captured memory, every day trip they wouldn't have gone on, the reviews where they helped, the times when they rocked it. Every time they made us laugh or amazed us with their talent. The times when they were the ones made it happen.

Thanks guys - you really have been appreciated.

We've worked with STABILO a few times before and today they return with an end-of-Summer giveaway. A firm favourite with most of my family, when we were asked if there was anything in particular we'd like to review and give away, STABILO pointMax Fineliners were top of the list.


STABILO sent us a pack of 12 fineliners and also included one of their new beYou! rollerball pens, and one of my readers can win this handy bundle for themselves.

The Bic Ballpoint is a time-served staple found in every office, but it doesn't give you any idea of the huge range of stationery products Bic are now offering. The quality is excellent and if you want something a bit different, you really can find it here...


We've got 4 College and Uni student grown-up children and they've been sent a selection of Bic's latest stationery to review. They're already arguing debating over who has what! Bic have kindly offered an identical bundle as a giveaway prize for one of my readers.



Bic Evolution Ecolution Black Graphite Pencils (pack of 4, around £2). Wood-free and made from 55% recycled materials, with an extra hard graphite core. They're definitely striking.

Buying gifts for teenagers and young people can be tricky. You may not know their taste or what they have already, and once they have wages from part-time jobs, they're buying their own treats. This list should give you a few ideas. These are things that I like and know will suit at least one of my young people aged 16, 17, 18 and 22.