A Fairy door

I believe if you wish hard enough it is possible to create a fairy door so they can come visit you, it might look something like this.
As explained by the lovely people at pirates and pixies the door only opens in, so only tiny faeries, elves and the like can use it.

I have heard there is a shortage of bottles among fairy babies, so I suspect any little visitors may request one to take home. I'm sure any little girls good enough to give the fairy a bottle will be rewarded with something very magical!

New shoes to aspire to....

I've been admiring fabulous shoes from Nicolas Kirkwood. Each pair is a little work of art, more sculpture than shoe.

Even if I could afford them I'm not sure where I'd wear them, but it won't stop me admiring them and wishing I had a pair in my wardrobe!

The audit - concluded.

All done and dusted for another year, bar the response in 30 days. We didn't do to bad, better than last year and considering in was 5 audit days this year (2 auditors, 2.5 days) compared to 4 last year we are calling that a success :-)

Audits continued......

Well, two days down, only one more to go!

Audits

We have our annual ISO13485 and 9001 audit by our notified body at the moment. The end result being my brain is fit for little more than sharing a cartoon this evening. We haven't prepared like this, I promise :-)

The History of Angioplasty - an introduction

Unfortunately most of us have a loved one affected by heart disease. According to the Irish Heart Foundation approximately 10,000 people die each year from cardiovascular disease. This includes coronary heart disease, stroke and other circulatory diseases. It is the most common cause of death in Ireland, accounting for 36% of all deaths. The largest number, 22%, of these deaths relate to coronary heart disease . Also, 22% of premature deaths (defined as death before the age of 65) are from cardiovascular disease.

It was once a male disease, or predominately so, but not any more. I recently had a meeting with one of Germany's top Cardiologists. During the meeting one of his staff brought in a file for his signature. He reviewed the file, signed it, looked at me and said "There's equality for you, a 40 year old woman with two blocked arteries, you wouldn't have seen that ten years ago". Just what I wanted to hear as I stressed about clinical trial design!

So, angioplasty, what is it and why is it important?

The heart is a vital organ which pumps blood to the entire body allowing for the circulation of oxygen and nutrients and the removal of waste. Its a muscular organ which requires a good blood flow of its own. Heart disease generally involves the narrowing or blockage of the arteries supplying blood to the heart, thus preventing it from working effectively. This can lead to fatigue, shortness of breath and pain, among other symptoms.

Previously these blockages were treated by by-pass surgery. This is a complex operation where vein graphs are taken from another part of the body, typically the leg, and are used to 'by-pass' the blockages in the heart.

What angioplasty does is remove the blockage with only a tiny incision, normally in the groin, which allows most patients to go home the same day! A massive difference in both risk and recovery time.

A balloon catheter is inserted into an artery in the groin, the femoral artery and travels to the heart and into the diseased vessel. Once positioned across the blockage the balloon is inflated, opening the vessel to its original size. Several vessels can be treated during the procedure.

The cardiologist views the images using x-ray and radiopaque dyes. The catheters and guidewires used also have radiopaque markers at know positions to assist in the positioning of the instruments in the coronary arteries.

The image below shows a diseased artery as seen by a cardiologist. You can see the blockage mid way down the image on the left.

This second image is the aerty following treatment, with full blood flow restored.

Just so no one is lost :-)

See it full size here

Kills all known germs - current status

The paper I quoted in my first piece about antibacterial household products was quite old. It did, I believe explain the risks behind these products quite well, so, what is the more recent research and opinion telling us?

The main antibacterial agent used in soaps and cleaning products is triclosan. It acts in a similar fashion to many systemic antibiotics and may have other mechanisms that can confer resistance to antibiotics.

Use of products containing triclosan may create an environment containing a low level of antibiotic, not enough to kill bacteria, but an ideal place bacteria do develop resistance.

Therefore, if you get an infection from your supposedly clean kitchen counter, the antibiotics the doctor prescribes will have no effect.

I must point out that this has not been conclusively proven. Some studies have found MRSA resistant bacteria on the hand dispensers of antibacterial soap, while another study found no increase in antibiotic resistant bacteria in households using antibacterial products.

However, there is enough concern for calls to ban triclosan use in household products. Last year (2009) the Canadian Medical Association asked the Canadian government for a ban and its safety is currently under review by the FDA.

So, even if it hasn't been proved to be dangerous just yet, is it a risk you want to take in your own home?


References:

Management of Antimicrobials in Infectious 377
Diseases, 2010, Part 3, 377-386, DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60327-239-1_20

Patterned Trousers

It seems patterned trousers are what we need to add to our wardrobes for spring, according to the cruise collections.

Such as these below from Erdem
Or these from Marc by Marc Jacobs

I'm not sure yet if I'll be brave enough!

Pretty Girly Things

L is a real little girl and into all things girlie. I have given up on my anti doll, no pink stuff stance and now embrace her love of all things pretty.

I have also started looking for some pretty stuff for her room, which is undergoing a bit of a clear out at the moment.

As part of the clear out, I wanted to get a book case. How perfect is this one for any little girls books?
It is from the Great Little Trading Company and I just can't wait for it to arrive. I'll let you see in in place just as soon as it is ready!

This weekend we had a trip to Hamleys and to add to the pretty theme we picked up this beautiful jewellery box.
Isn't it gorgeous? We spent quite a while arranging all of her slides, clips, necklaces, bracelets and other small girl essentials, while listening to the music and watching the fairy twirl around.

While we were in Hamleys L had her nails painted for the first time, pink with tiny flowers. Well, she had three nails painted. She was so delighted with herself.

I'm sure in no time at all the neutral theme I spent so long on before L was born will be completely replaced by pretty pinkness, I have my eye out for some bunting as our next addition :-)

Kills all known germs

We are bombarded on a daily basis with ways to protect ourselves and our loved ones from evil, deadly germs and bacteria. They are even depicted as nasty little monsters out to get us at every turn.

Of course, some of these bacteria can do a lot of harm and one of the most significant advancements in modern medicine was the discovery of the antibiotic, Penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in 1928.

Penicillin allowed diseases such as syphilis, gangrene and tuberculosis to be easily treated for the first time.
Unfortunately, this wonder drug has been over used which has led to mutations and antibiotic resistant bacteria. This leads to infections that cannot be treated by conventional means, the so called 'super bugs'. An example of which is MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus).

Are we now repeating the mistake with antibacterial household products?

There is a lot of concern that we are doing just that. I recently read an interesting article by Stuart B. Levy in the journal of Emerging Infectious Diseases (Vol. 7, No. 3 Supplement, June 2001) which lays the fasts out very well.

You can read the article here.

Its worth considering next time your are picking up some kitchen cleaner in the supermarket.

The cake - a first attempt

I decided to have a practice run at a birthday cake today. I went shopping for all the random ingredients that do not normally find their way into my trolley, such as baking powder, vanilla essence and lots of types of sugar.

I didn't even realise there was so many types, or that such vast quantities went into a cake!


I then searched through my various kitchen gadgets and discovered I had a never used cake making attachment on my food processor. I even have a weighting scales.

So, I consult my recipe. I am prepared for all sorts of complex instructions and I have supplied L with enough toys to get me through at least 20 steps of adding, mixing and other baking type actions (I'm even prepared for kneading!). Imagine my surprise when I discover that what I need to do is mix everything and put it in the oven. I must be missing something, it can't be that easy can it?

So, I mix everything.....




put it in a tin....


and stick it in the oven.

I am deeply suspicious at this point, it really can't be this easy.
However, in the hope that it is, I move onto the icing. L is a huge Peppa Pig fan, so the plan is to make a Peppa cake of some sort. For today, I'm aiming for a pink cake. So, I need pink icing.

This is a little bit trickier, but it is basically a case of mix it all up and put it on the cake. So I mix it.....
and its pink, that's something I suppose.


It's time to think about taking the cake out of the oven. The recipe said it should have come away from the sides of the tin and spring back when you press the middle lightly. At the first look the middle still looks suspiciously unset, so I close the oven door and cross my fingers.

Ten minutes of prayers to the god of cakes and careful observation and it passes the spring test. I take it out. It looks surprisingly cake like!


I then have a panic, I don't have a wire cake cooling thingy!! I manage to improvise and put an oven shelf on the hob.

Still looks very cake like!



It then needs to cool, which takes for ever, and I almost lose interest in the whole icing idea.

However I manage to stick with it. I decide to cut it in two and put jam and cream in the middle. The icing is hard enough to get to stick to the sides, I think I need a different type of icing that is firmer and moulds a bit. Supposedly you can get it in a ready rolled state, but I couldn't find any of that. Possibly as I don't know what I was actually looking for.

Anyway, here is the final cake. Not bad for a first attempt, if I do say so myself. It actually tastes delicious. I don't know why its taken me so long to attempt. A large piece of it will go to work in the morning for tasting, I'll report back with their opinion :-)


I think I am still on track for a suitably fabulous birthday cake, I just hope today wasn't beginners luck!

To update, everyone at work is still alive and all plates were cleared!

L's sunflower

I love that L's first attempt at gardening has resulted in a beautiful sunflower peeping in our kitchen window :-)

Books I hope my daughter reads

On my drive home today I heard 'Bright Eyes' by Art Garfunkel from the film 'Watership Down'. It got me thinking about all the books I read as a young girl. I have always loved reading and while I have less time to read for pleasure these days (scientific papers and ISO standards aside) I still always have at least one book on the go.

The first proper book I read was one of The Famous Five. I still remember the conflict between wanting to find out the ending but not wanting the book to end. It's a feeling I still get to this day when I'm reading a book I love.

I have a beautiful copy of Black Beauty in my parents house waiting for L to be big enough to read it. The story still brings tears to my eyes.

An obvious one is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Plus of course the rest of the Narnia collection, ending with The Last Battle if I remember correctly.

Some less obvious memories include the Flambards books by K.M. Peyton. It was also a tv series about a young girl, Christina, sent to live with her Uncle Russell and cousins Will and Mark in a huge old house in pre -war Cornwall. I must try to find them and read them again.

Something similar to Watership Down, I also loved Run Swift, Run Free by Tom McCaughren, along with his other books Run to Earth, Run to the Ark and Run with the Wind.

Of course, I can't forget The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, not to mention The Wind in the Willows, The Wizard of Oz and Heidi, and of course Anne of Green Gables!

I know Harry Potter and all the vampire books are incredibly popular these days, but I don't know if they really can compete? Or am I looking back with nostalgia tinted reading glasses?

Nude shoes

I've also fallen in love with these slightly more reasonably priced shoes from Next.
I love Next for work clothes and shoes. I always find their shoes, including their heels very comfortable, even if your on your feet during the day.

Anyway, I my eye on these for a little while and had mentioned them to a friend at work. I finally decided to splash out on Sunday, so in I went and asked for a size 6. No luck, all sold out, it seems they have been very popular. I'm all disappointed, but I suppose I can order on line. Come home and try but no luck there either. Sold out :-(

So, I go into work on Monday who comes over to my desk to tell me they bought beautiful shoes at the weekend???? In size 6!!!! My shoes!

That's the last time I share my shopping aspirations.....

Risotto

I love to cook, I'm no Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay, but I haven't poisoned my husband yet either! I spent years under the misconception that risotto was a really difficult dish, mainly based on the rantings reality cooking shows. I recently overcame this fear and discovered this very straight forward dish. It is really tasty and quite light. It is now a firm favourite in our house.

Ingredients (serves 2):

2 chicken fillets (bite sized pieces)
2 rashers (cut into strips)
1 clove of garlic (finely chopped)
167 g of risotto rice (1/3 of a box)
butter
handful of peas (I use frozen)
500ml of hot chicken stock

The quickest way to do this is to have 2 frying pans on the go.

1. In one fry the chicken in some butter until cooked on the outside, add the bacon and continue until the chicken is browned and bacon crispy.

2. In the second pan, melt enough butter to coot the rice. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the rice and coat in the butter.

3. Add a ladle of the stock to the rice and simmer over a low heat. As the stock is absorbed add the stock slowly. Keep stirring to a minimum. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. It takes about 20 minutes for the rice to cook and absorb all the stock. About 5 minutes from the end add the peas to the rice.

5. Once all the stock has been absorbed add the cooked chicken and bacon and stir.

6. Serve and enjoy :-)

What I'm reading

I'm feeling a bit on the tired side today, mainly due to staying awake reading for far too long last night. I should have know this would happen, the last two books I read by Ken Follett were equally difficult to put down.

I picked up 'The Pillars of the Earth' last year in the airport for my holidays, and I loved it! The characters become so real that I could not stop for fear of missing something. I fell in love with the hero and despised the bad guys, although I sometimes ended up feeling sorry for them once the good guys triumphed.

I also read the sequel, 'World Without End', which I equally loved.

So yesterday I started 'Fall of Giants', and it looks every bit as promising as the other two. If your looking for something to read give them a try!

Goodnight Moon

I read a bed time story to L every night. I have been doing this for over a year now and its the same book each time, Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown. Attempts to change this have not gone down well!

It's a special time I look forward to, especially during a long day at work. L snuggles up to me, all sleepy and ready for bed and we read the story and have a little chat.

Its a lovely simple little book about a little rabbit delaying bed time, as most small people do, by saying goodnight to everything he can see.

The illustrations, by Clement Hurd, are beautifully done. The light gradually fades from the room so that by the end of the book the room is almost in darkness. Every second page is coloured and full of detail with the other pages in black and white which pick out single items.

It starts off describing "The great green room" and then goes on to say goodnight, ending with "Goodnight noises every where".

At this point I know it off by heart, and while a part of me is looking forward to more exciting and varied bed time stories, Goodnight Moon will always hold a special place in my heart.

My little girl will be 2 in a couple of weeks time and it has brought me face to face with my massive weak spot as a mother. I don't bake!

I can justify the working mum thing, the travel, the nights away, bribery with buttons, even watching cartoons.

I can come to terms with all these less than 100% perfect issues, they don't bother me much at all to be honest.

What does get me is the cakes, and the buns, and the cookies. None of which home cooked goodies I provide. Neither do I don an apron and spend an afternoon getting covered in floor and providing a bowl to lick. (We tend to do lunch and go shopping, which is WAY more fun in my book)

However, at this time of year it does come home to me again that I don't bake. Also, I am constantly astounded at the amazing cakes every other mother in the world seems to produce without a second thought. It puts me to shame. So, I am going to attempt a cake.

How hard can it be??

Watch this space and I'll tell you :-)

I have fallen in love with these!

Aren't they beautiful?
They are Christian Louboutin Pigalle 120 patent pumps!
They are surely a classic and I could wear them until well into my 80's, so they would be incredibly good value!

What do you think?

So, who am I?

Well, my name is Fiona and I have wanted to start writing a blog for some time. What has stopped me is a lack of something interesting to talk about.......

I love reading beauty, fashion and interior blogs, but I don't have the knowledge to add anything useful.
I love being a Mum, but I'm not going to be one of those who think they are the only person in the world who knows how to successfully raise a child. Especially as I only have one.
I love to cook, but I'm no professional chef.
I love my job, and while there is reg affairs blogs out their, and I do read them, I'm not sure I have the million years industry experience to add anything useful. Also, this is supposed to be fun!

So, I have decided to bite the bullet, start writing, and see where it takes me.

Despite what I have said above, I will share my views on fashion I like, shoes I just have to have and the lovely lotion or potion I have just discovered. As we are planning to plan to move house, beautiful houses containing acres of storage will feature in my thoughts.

As a proud Mum, there will be mention of my fantastic little girl, and how I attempt to juggle careers and family.

I'll share any amazing recipes I try out and maybe the not so successful ones as well!
I may even mention reg affairs!

In other words, I will share what I consider to be the interesting and useful thoughts and experiences I may have and if anyone finds that amusing or helpful that will be a bonus :-)