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Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7

Shoe Repairs And Several Other Things When I Was 7
My Dad repaired most of our shoes believe it or not, I can hardly believe it myself now. With 7 pairs of shoes always needing repairs I think he was quite clever to learn how to “Keep us in shoe Leather” to coin a phrase!

He bought several different sizes of cast iron cobbler’s “lasts”. Last, the old English “Laest” meaning footprint. Lasts were holding devices shaped like a human foot. I have no idea where he would have bought the shoe leather. Only that it was a beautiful creamy, shiny colour and the smell was lovely.

But I do remember our shoes turned upside down on and fitted into these lasts, my Dad cutting the leather around the shape of the shoe, and then hammering nails, into the leather shape. Sometimes we’d feel one or 2 of those nails poking through the insides of our shoes, but our dad always fixed it.

Hiking and Swimming Galas
Dad was a very outdoorsy type, unlike my mother, who was probably too busy indoors. She also enjoyed the peace and quiet when he took us off for the day!

Anyway, he often took us hiking in the mountains where we’d have a picnic of sandwiches and flasks of tea. And more often than not we went by steam train.

We loved poking our heads out of the window until our eyes hurt like mad from a blast of soot blowing back from the engine. But sore, bloodshot eyes never dampened our enthusiasm.

Dad was an avid swimmer and water polo player, and he used to take us to swimming galas, as they were called back then. He often took part in these galas. And again we always travelled by steam train.

Rowing Over To Ireland’s Eye
That’s what we did back then, we had to go by rowboat, the only way to get to Ireland’s eye, which is 15 minutes from mainland Howth. From there we could see Malahide, Lambay Island and Howth Head of course. These days you can take a Round Trip Cruise on a small cruise ship!

But we thoroughly enjoyed rowing and once there we couldn’t wait to climb the rocks, and have a swim. We picnicked and watched the friendly seals doing their thing and showing off.

Not to mention all kinds of birdlife including the Puffin.The Martello Tower was also interesting but a bit dangerous to attempt entering. I’m getting lost in the past as I write, and have to drag myself back to the present.

Fun Outings with The camera Club
Dad was also a very keen amateur photographer, and was a member of a camera Club. There were many Sunday photography outings and along with us came other kids of the members of the club.

And we always had great fun while the adults busied themselves taking photos of everything and anything, it seemed to us. Dad was so serious about his photography that he set up a dark room where he developed and printed his photographs.

All black and white at the time. He and his camera club entered many of their favourites in exhibitions throughout Europe. I’m quite proud to say that many cups and medals were won by Dad. They have been shared amongst all his grandchildren which I find quite special.

He liked taking portraits of us kids too, mostly when we were in a state of untidiness, usually during play. Dad always preferred the natural look of messy hair and clothes in the photos of his children.

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All Natural Skin Care – What Does it Mean and Why Should You Care?

As we get older our skin ages, and as we start to notice ageing skin our thoughts turn to skin care. Today I want to examine the problems with mainstream anti aging products, find out what all natural skin care is and why this is important for you to know.Anti aging products are supposed to be good for us. They are supposed to reverse the effects of skin ageing and to reduce the visible results, namely wrinkles, skin sagging, fine lines, age spots and more. Using skin care products is supposed to be a positive in our life.But unfortunately for many people this is not the case. The numbers of people who suffer from allergies, skin irritation and skin problems like eczema from the use of mainstream big brand skin care products is huge. I know this because it’s happened to a member of my family and because I spend my time researching this.And there is one simple reason for this, a reason that does not apply to all natural skin care products.The reason is this. Many of the antaging brands that you may take for granted and perhaps even use every day contain a range of chemical and petrochemical ingredients, many of which are known to cause cancer and many of which lead to skin problems as well as other health problems.I spend much of my time researching skin care products and looking at the health implications of many of the chemical ingredients which are used in them. For example just this morning I was reading the results of a study done on mice which has been published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology which concluded that the use of moisturizers containing sodium lauryl sulphate increase the risk of skin cancer in mice by 69 percent.This is just one of the hundreds or even thousands of studies which have shown that many of the chemical ingredients used in modern big brand name skin care products can have a range of health implications. Ingredients such as mineral oil, parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate, fragrances, petroleum products and more are all used in many if not most of the big brand anti aging products that you see on the shelves every day. And each of these has been shown in various studies to put consumers at risk of health and skin problems.There are a wide range of well-known natural ingredients which are firmly established to be very beneficial to the health of your skin and which are perfectly safe to use in anti aging products such as all natural anti aging products. These ingredients are known to be safe and in many cases have been eaten by generations of people without negative health implications.Of course these natural ingredients are all available to any company to use in it’s anti aging products. However with billions of dollars at stake in this industry competition is voracious, including competition on price. Whilst all of these natural ingredients found in so many good all natural skin care products are relatively expensive chemical ingredients such as mineral oil and sodium lauryl sulphate are extremely cheap. These companies use cheap ingredients so that they can market their products at a competitive price and include in the budget plenty of money for television advertising.However this situation offers an opportunity to new players in the market, and to some older players, to develop products which take advantage of the growing awareness of the problem of chemical ingredients in anti aging products. These niche companies produce excellent all natural anti aging products using ingredients which are known to be safe and which are highly effective, and usually more so than the chemical ingredients used in the big brands.All natural skin care products work very effectively, and if you choose wisely they are perfectly safe for you to use on your skin, regardless of skin type, and will not cause any skin irritation or allergies or any other health problems.Note that I said “if you choose wisely”. There are many anti aging products advertised as all natural skin care products which contain many of the chemical ingredients used in the big brand names. There is no government regulation determining what can or cannot be used in anti aging products and what can or cannot be said on the label, so cheating is rife.The best all natural skin care products offer you an opportunity for excellent skin care without risking your health or your skin. They are highly effective and they need to be, because the best ones come with a money back guarantee to ensure that all customers are able to try the products risk free to establish for themselves how well they work.So if you’re becoming concerned about the problems with mainstream anti aging skin care products and you can be confident in the knowledge that, if you choose wisely, you can find excellent all natural skin care products that really do produce optimum skin health without the chemical risks.Visit my website to find out more.

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Buying a Home When You Can’t Qualify For Bank Financing

If you’ve previously suffered from financial problems, you may believe there’s little chance to become a homeowner. Prior to the current mortgage industry melt down, an individual who filed bankruptcy could qualify for a home loan in just over a year. But today’s lending climate has made it nearly impossible to qualify for a loan with poor credit.Lenders naturally prefer borrowers with high credit scores. If you have bad credit, don’t give up hope. If you’re willing to expend some effort and time into reestablishing good credit, the good news is you can qualify to buy the home you desire. Plan to set aside six months to two years to reestablish your credit history.If you can convince a potential lender your financial dilemma was due to reasons beyond your control (such as divorce, business failure, medical bills, unemployment) or provide evidence you’ve become financially responsible, you might convince the lender to give you a second chance. But you need to be aware trying to restore your credit requires long-term planning, preparation, and hard effort.On the other hand, if you haven’t filed a bankruptcy or suffered financial problems, but still have other issues affecting your credit such as self employment or a new job less than two years, expect to face an uphill battle trying to qualify for a home loan. Because the mortgage industry is constantly changing, you should speak to a knowledgeable mortgage broker or representative about your available options.Another alternative to traditional financing is to consider owner-will-carry (OWC) financing. If you have no established credit, minimal savings, and a low paying job, this strategy can help you get your foot into the real estate market. Try locating mature homeowners who are fed up with managing their rental properties, but still desired the monthly income a rental property brings. These homeowners make great participants for owner-will-carry financing.By disposing the property to another party, these landlords eliminate the headaches of troublesome tenants, clogged toilets, and malfunctioning air conditioners. They simultaneously earn interest on their seller financed loans which will bring them significantly higher returns than a bank savings account or certificate of deposit.The wonderful aspect about owner or seller financing is the flexibility of lending to anyone the seller desires to, so long as the terms are mutually agreeable. If you can’t qualify for a loan from a regular bank, check out the option of OWC financing as a first choice. Numerous real estate investors and homeowners utilize this alternative without worrying about the hassles of qualifying with a regular lender.

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