I live in the south of England & work in education. I'm busy juggling working full time with a busy online social life. I'm a Bigfoot and Mentor on Tagfoot and would love to see you there! I enjoy watching F1 Grand Prix racing, music (any kind), watching tv, especially Big Brother, researching my family tree, spending time at the beach, food and so much more. http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/debnet Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:16:51 -0600 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.squidoo.com/fish_chips My first home was above a Fish and Chip shop. My Grandparents owned a small chain of 'chippies' from the 50's - 70's and I have happy memories of those days. Through this lens, I'd like to share with you the alure of Fish and Chips and why they're still one of my favourite meals. How did the Fish and chip industry begin? What can you order there? As someone travelling from distant shores to the U.K., what can you expect from our great national dish? I hope to answer all of these questions and many more in this lens. Fish and chips really are a national treasure! THIS LENS IS ON THE ISLE OF SQUID Submit A Review Of This Lens The Isle Of Squid Directory food Fri, 09 Oct 2009 04:20:53 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/top-10-disney-characters This is my personal top ten list of Disney Characters. You'll notice that they're older characters. I grew up with most of these and then introduced my children to the rest of them. A large number of Disney's characters are taken from old European stories and fairy tales written by such authors as The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson. I hope you'll enjoy looking through my list and maybe add your top Disney Characters to the list near the bottom of the lens. I found the 'Top 10' image at Brave New Climate parenting Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:07:58 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/selective_mutism The purpose of this lens is to raise awareness around the area of Selective Mutism, especially to those who will come across children in the school environment who display some form of selective mutism. I hope my case study & thoughts will give you some practical ideas & boost your confidence in your approach. I've also included some information on what Selective Mutism is, and some interesting video clips which I hope will give you a better insight into this fascinating area. My work with one child has prompted me to create this lens. He's one I'll never forget. I hope to answer all of these questions & many more in this lens. THIS LENS IS ON THE ISLE OF SQUID Submit A Review Of This Lens The Isle Of Squid Directory health Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:44:40 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/cauliflower_cheese This is a recipe for Cauliflower Cheese. This is the first time I have attempted a dedicated recipe lens, so please bear with me, Ok? I grew up with a Mother who told me what I liked and what I didn't like. So through my entire childhood I believed I didn't like cheese, mushrooms, curry, any foreign food actually and a whole variety of other things too. So, thinking I didn't like them, I didn't even try them. Not until I married and my ex Mother-In-Law would hold a spoon of whatever to my mouth and say 'Taste it before you tell me you don't like it' so I did taste... and I did like. Strange thing is, most of those foods are now my favourites! My Mother-In-Law taught me more about food and cooking than my own Mother did and this is one dish I can now do blindfolded and I always enjoy. I also cook it whenever my Dad comes to dinner as he loves it but never gets it at home as my Mum refuses to make it. I am not an organised cook. I grab things in order of needing them and then realise I probably haven't got half the ingredients so I improvise a lot. I'll give you the precise quantities in the recipe but to be honest, I've now made this so many times I can gauge how much to put in the pan without the need to weigh or measure anything. The recipe includes making a Roux sauce. Some people panic when they think of making sauces this way but trust me, it's simple. The photographs aren't quite as sharp as I would've liked but trying to take pics and cook when you're alone is quite an art! Maybe I can gradually replace them if someone else joins me in the kitchen and can do the photographs for me. I hope you enjoy making Cauliflower Cheese with me! food Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:25:41 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/social_stories A Social Story is a very prescriptive way of identifying and addressing a problem behaviour and giving direction on how we'd like to change it. Social Stories are usually written for children (or adults) on the Autistic Spectrum but are also beneficial for anyone with social communication difficulties. Through this lens, I'm hoping that you'll gain understanding of why we use social stories, when to use a social story and how to write a social story. I hope teachers, parents & educators, will find this lens a useful addition to their resource banks and will begin to develop their own Social Stories. I work within Educational Psychology in the U.K., & work with children who have some form of Emotional and/or Behavioural difficulty. Some of the children need help with friendship or social skills, others have self esteem issues and my favourite area is anger management. I also help children to recognise and appropriately express their feelings and emotions and to be able to identify feelings in others. This is just the tip of the iceberg :) I am not an Educational Psychologist, I'm an Emotional Wellbeing Development Officer, otherwise known as a EWDO. I want to put together a collection of lenses giving ideas for supporting children experiencing some form of emotional difficulty. I hope you find them useful. education Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:48:13 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/heirlooms Alas, I don't have many. After researching my family tree, I found out why. Most of my ancestors were labourers, carpenters, servants and the occasional smuggler! Consequently not much of any value, either sentimental or monietary, has been passed down through the generations. What I do have though is some wonderful family photographs, such as the one here. This is believed to be a family member who emigrated, or was sent, (depending on your point of view) to Canada as a teenager. I also have a crocheted table cloth that my Grandmother made. There's a couple of beautiful baby shawls that were made by Great Aunts for my children, tucked away in the attic, waiting to be used by the next generation. I thought it would be great to find out what family heirlooms you have, or maybe intend to leave for others. You can let me know about your Family Heirlooms by adding to the guestbook. The best Family Heirlooms will be given their own pride of place on THE FAMILY ALBUM as the list grows. Maybe you have something rare and valuable. Maybe you have a recipe from your Great Grandma. Whatever it is, please share it so that we can all enjoy it together. What's the nicest thing that's been passed onto you? What's the most bizarre item to have come your way? Whatever it is, this is the place to tell about it! entertainment Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:55:31 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/bacon_and_mushroom_spaghetti_sauce My recipe for Bacon and Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce was taught to me by a friend who was a chef in an Italian restaurant. I use smoked back bacon, which has less fat than the bacon I've seen in America, but you can use whatever you prefer. I also remove all the visible fat. This is for two main reasons. One is to keep the meal healthy and the second reason is that I hate eating fat! For a Vegetarian option, just leave the bacon out! You can serve this with which ever type of pasta you prefer. It's also good on top of a jacket potato. So for a tasty inexpensive meal, try this Bacon and Mushroom Spaghetti Sauce! The Italian flag image used here can be found at Italian Flag Image By dakidj_2008 food Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:11:56 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/dream_holiday If you could invent a dream holiday all of your own, what would it be? Will it be a single day like a National holiday or will it be a two week vacation? Would it be a one off or an annual event? Would your dream holiday be a celebration? Maybe your dream holiday would be a coming together? Where would your dream holiday be? Who would be there? What would you eat? Would the weather be hot or cold? Would your dream holiday be an excuse for a lazy day or a fast action fun filled day? Maybe it would be in recognition of a family or national tradition. Here's some of my thoughts about a dream holiday. The firework image can be found at Sam Graphic Design entertainment Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:51:25 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/curly_hair So we've all got something we hate about our appearance... apparently. For me, it's my hair. Why oh why have I got this stuff growing out of my head? The majority of people have hair that swings and sways gently and oh, let's not forget, it grows DOWNWARDS. Mine? Well mine goes any which way it wants EXCEPT down! Some people pay a fortune to have curly hair like mine. At least they have a choice! people Thu, 27 Aug 2009 06:53:36 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/pub_grub Just imagine. It's a glorious summers day - yes, ok, you need a powerful imagination if you're in England - and you're driving through the beautiful, green, lush, Countryside. There, like an oasis, is a traditional Olde Worlde, English pub. As you approach, you see they have a chalk board outside offering Traditional Fayre, or Pub Grub. The aromas of home cooking waft through the open doorway... go on in, how can you resist? Let me show you what you're missing... food Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:13:36 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/debnet_and_poddys So just how did I come to meet and fall in love with someone living across the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? This is the story of how Debnet met Poddys Or should that be, When Debbie met Tony. What led us to be those two people who met and fell in love? Would things have been the same if we met years earlier? How on earth have we maintained this relationship for two years while living 4500 miles apart? I often ask myself the same questions. aboutme Sun, 07 Feb 2010 08:03:28 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/jim_cronin James "Jim" Michael Cronin MBE (15 November 1951-17 March 2007) was the founder in 1987 of Monkey World in Dorset, England, a sanctuary for abused and neglected primates. He was widely acknowledged as an international expert in the rescue and rehabilitation of abused primates, and in the enforcement of international treaties aimed at protecting them from illegal trade and experimentation. Monkey World in Dorset, UK, is a haven for rescued primates, primarily Chimpanzees. It is open to the public and is the result of dedicated hard work by Jim Cronin and his wife Alison. *Please note, this is a charity lens. I have been unable to set this up with Squidoo, as yet, as Monkey World is not currently on their list of charities. Until I am able to create the charity link, I will donate all royalties and any commission from sales, to Monkey World myself people Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:49:16 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/netley Netley, aka Netley Abbey, is a place I like to visit. Netley is in the County of Hampshire, in England It's a small village to the east of Southampton. It lies along the coast facing the river Itchen. It has seen many great ships go past it's shores. These include Titanic, The Queen Mary, The QE2 to name a few. Alongside the grand cruise ships you will see the Isle Of Wight ferry, cargo ships, yachts, tugs, and the occasional speed boat go on their journeys along the Itchen to and from the waters of the Solent. Netley is a sleepy little place with a wealth of history. Ancient ruins, wonderful walks and delightful views all go to make Netley a gem on the south coast. travel Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:54:46 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/saucepans The humble saucepan is probably one of the most used kitchen utensils that we have. From expensive copper based pans to cheap and cheerful non stick... so non stick, the non stick doesn't stick!! There are so many types of saucepan choose from. I use mine for cooking vegetables, stews, soups, gravies, white sauces, choux pastry and so much more besides. I tried to find as many different types of saucepan as I could to include in this lens. I'm sure there's more to find though! I've also featured some great recipe lenses that will require a good pan to make the dish! food Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:05:28 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/New_York_City_Break Do you fancy a City Break in New York? Have you wanted to go to New York but need to know about what to do when you are there? Apart from the major tourist attractions in Manhattan like the Statue Of Liberty, The Empire State Building, Central Park and Broadway you don't know what else there is to see? Want to know how to get around in Manhattan? Are you just looking for ideas? IF SO THEN THIS LENS IS FOR YOU! This is the story of a long weekend in Manhattan and is co-written by Debnet and Poddys. It's not only an in-depth description of what to do in New York, how to get around and places to see, it's the story of OUR WEEKEND, a truly fun weekend with it's ups and downs but truly the best break we have both had. So please join us on our long weekend in New York, a fun trip to Manhattan. We both hope that you will share in our experiences and enjoy this adventure of a lifetime. Both Debbie and I are really excited to be doing a lens together about our wonderful trip. Neither of us think that anyone has attempted to create a joint lens before, so we hope that this is a first from this respect. We also had such an amazing long weekend in New York that we wanted to share some of our experiences with others. Debbie created much of the lens, while I have added my comments and thoughts after in many cases. You can identify the sections that Debbie wrote as they have a pale background, whereas the sections that I worked on have a blue background. You might notice that we have both covered the same topic at times. While it's not intended to be repetitive, where we have done this we both wanted to add our own information to the lens. Not only is this about our experiences, it's also about preparing for a trip to New York, booking Flights and Hotels, and about getting around while you are there. Our trip was to Manhattan, so we have focused on this, although New York City does consist of a number of boroughs. Also, only having a few days to see as much as we could, we avoided the major museums, but have included links to other sights and attractions that we did not visit for completeness. Finally, most of the photographs we used in this lens are our own, not stock photos borrowed from other sites. Neither of us are great photographers and we don't profess to be either, but we think that we did pretty good, and are really happy to share our personal moments with you. Please note! All photographs remain the property of Debnet and Poddys and should not be downloaded or copied without prior permission travel Thu, 27 Aug 2009 07:05:09 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/christmas_crackers I decided to write about Christmas Crackers after hearing about a friend's experience outside of the UK, when it became apparent that other Nationalities (you know who you are!) didn't really know what to do with a cracker! A Christmas Cracker is a traditional 'must have' at any British dinner table on Christmas day and will help the day go with a BANG! education Tue, 08 Dec 2009 12:12:11 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/sacred_spirit I put this lens together to share what I think is just great music from Sacred Spirit. If you love the sound of Native American chants, I'm sure you'll love the way this has been combined with music. The sound of the Native American Flutes is almost hypnotic. The voice of Navajo elder Kee Chee Jake of Chinle, Arizona, sang the hit 'Yeha Noha' which was an international hit & brought Sacred Spirit several hit singles and albums. Enjoy! Make sure to watch the videos so that you can listen to the tracks & see some great images. THIS LENS IS ON THE ISLE OF SQUID Submit A Review Of This Lens The Isle Of Squid Directory music Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:53:44 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/walnut_recipes The walnut is such a versatile resource, that I decided to see how many uses I could find for it! Through this lens, I hope to share with you some of the many uses of the walnut including yummy walnut recipes. I'll reguarly be adding items about walnuts and walnut wood, so be sure to check back soon! food Sun, 17 May 2009 08:54:24 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/the-new-forest I was lucky enough to grow up within a stone's throw from The New Forest. I remember many a happy day spent driving through the forest, finding a nice spot for a picnic or walking for miles through the countryside. The New Forest is now a National Park. It was originally created by William The Conqueror in 1079 as a place for him to hunt deer. If my memory serves me right, the original forest had been destroyed by fire. Hence the name 'The NEW Forest'. The New Forest runs between Southampton and Bournemouth in the south of England, with many villages in between. It's a vast area of outstanding natural beauty and is packed full of history. The New Forest ponies roam free and can will stop the traffic as they wander into the middle of the road. Sometimes they will just stand and watch or maybe even approach your vehicle. Take care around them if you're having a picnic as they will bite and kick! travel Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:28:43 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/southampton_uk I decided to create a lens about my home town of Southampton. Southampton is on the south coast of England in the county of Hampshire. You may know Southampton as the home to many great cruise ships including The Titanic, The QE2, The Queen Mary, The Oriana and many more besides. Southampton is a City with a population of 217,000 according to wiki answers. Within our community we have a very diverse mix of cultures. From West Indians and Asians to more recently Eastern Europeans. Southampton is known as having the largest Polish community in the U.K. We have a medieval quarter. Many of the original town walls are still standing, despite bombing in WW11. The photograph here is of the Bargate and this was the original point of entry to the old gated town. Due to the mass destruction of the war, Southampton is a mish mash of building designs. The city centre is a mix of medieval, post war and more modern builds. Southampton city centre is full of green areas. The city's parks are well maintained by the local council. We also have Southampton Common. An area of countryside in the heart of the city. Southampton has it's very own mall called West Quay. Here you will find all the usual shops that you can find anywhere else in the Country. But you will also find some unique, local shops too. Bedford Place, near the top of the High St is testiment to that. There's frequently a market in the centre of 'town' as it's called. 'town' is the main shopping area as we locals call it. Occasionally we have a visiting market from Germany, Italy or France. There's a couple of Universities. We are home to Southampton Oceanography Centre where some amazing research takes place. Southampton's universities attract students from all over the world. I have so much to tell about my home town, I will reguarly be adding more information to this lens for many months to come I'm sure! travel Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:59:34 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/presents_gifts Is it just me? Does everyone get awful gifts from time to time? I think my run of inappropriate, strange, bizarre, gifts started at quite a young age. My dear old Aunty Doll liked to give a 50p ($1) sellotaped to a small pot of Nivea...now don't get me wrong, I like Nivea, but at 10 years old you don't really know what to do with it. Then of course there was Aunty Pat... at 14 years old I got a colouring book with pictures of fairies...just what every self respecting 14 year old wants!!! Aunty Pat did have a reputation for funny presents. My cousins & I would compare gifts after each Christmas & birthday. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that I was given a gift, especially as my elderly Aunts didn't have a lot of money, but I always felt slightly conned :) Lots of strange things have been given to me over the years. I'm sure I'm not the only one to have a collection of ceramic ornaments...usually of some kind of animal with a smile on it's face. The charity shop just give me another knowing smile now when I take a bag in...they know what to expect. I have to admit, on one or two occasions I've even recycled gifts...does anyone else do that? Oh, I just thought, maybe I'm being given all the recycled gifts that others don't want!!! Then there was the Christmas that my Mum had been making a big fuss about. My Mother rarely keeps the secret of what a gift is but she did somehow manage it on this occasion. Lots of comments on the run up to Christmas, such as 'wait til you see what you've got' 'it was very expensive you know, I hope you'll appreciate it' ...you can imagine how wound up with excitement I was by the time Christmas arrived. There sat a huge, heavy, box. What could it be? I ripped through the paper in record time to find...a set of saucepans. I had saucepans, 2 sets in fact. Now why did my Mother presume that I'd want another set in a minuscule kitchen where I had no room for the ones I had, let alone another set!!! But still, I should be grateful. This was outdone the following year on my birthday. A tin of paint arrived. Not any old tin you understand. B & Q's finest for Kitchens & bathrooms, as she (yes, my Mum again) could see that the walls needed a touch up!!! Another occasion springs to mind...the dreaded Secret Santa. At the time, I was working in a school & the Head teacher insisted we all sat around the staff room & each took our turn to open the anonymous gift & say why we thought it had been given to us. I carefully opened the wrapping, whilst 20 other pairs of eyes watched, & there in front of me was the most hideous ornament in the form of a pair of birds...but it gets better...it had a great big chip in it & dust on the top & had obviously seen better days!!! I must've really upset someone to have been given that little gem ;) Did anyone else notice that these gifts are always wrapped beautifully? Why is that? What's the worst gift you've been presented with? Was it a Birthday Gift? Christmas Present? Something for Valentines Day? A Wedding Present maybe? Feel free to add to the list below and let everyone know. I hope to answer all of these questions & many more in this lens. THIS LENS IS ON THE ISLE OF SQUID Submit A Review Of This Lens The Isle Of Squid Directory humor Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:02:43 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/wonderbra I first discovered the Gossard Wonderbra when I was around 16 or 17. What a find! This miracle of illusion has to be one of the greatest inventions ever! I decided to put this lens together as a 'Thank you!' for the Wonderbra on behalf of millions of women across the globe. shopping Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:55:57 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/fools_horses Only Fools & Horses, created by John Sullivan, is one of the BBC's finest sitcoms ever. It is now Classic Cult Television at it's best. Based in the suburb of Peckham, South London, Derek Trotter- AKA Delboy - & his brother Rodney, run 'Trotters Independant Traders'. Basically they're market traders selling anything they can get their hands on, for a profit. Most of what they sell is cheap and faulty goods. If you're not familiar with the Trotter brothers, I hope you'll take the time to watch some of the video clips...but be warned, you'll end up laughing so much your sides will hurt!! THIS LENS IS ON THE ISLE OF SQUID Submit A Review Of This Lens The Isle Of Squid Directory moviesandtv Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:24:09 -0600 http://www.squidoo.com/tagfoot_tips As I recently became the first member on Tagfoot to reach a Footness of 100,000, I thought I'd share 100 hot Tagfoot tips with you! The most important thing to remember is just to have fun. Tagfoot can be confusing when you're just starting out, but stick with it. You will soon become part of the most friendliest community that I have found online. You'll soon agree that Tagfoot Rocks! I'd like to say a special thanks to 'SUPPORT' at Tagfoot for allowing me to use content and images from the Tagfoot site... thank you. education Sun, 30 Aug 2009 07:50:12 -0600