Mother’s day can be difficult for many of us, especially for those who don’t have mum there anymore. losing a loved one is never gonna be easy but certain times of the year seem much harder than others.
This Mothers day … I have decided to celebrate, even though my mum passed a few years ago now. Its my day to remember her, my day to eat cake, bit of a self care day. Might buy myself a Bounty Bar … she loved them … i think they are gross.
I hope people around get it … understand that it’s a difficult day. Most people I know have never lost anyone that close … so it can be hard for them too.
If you feel a bit overwhelmed that’s normal … i’m sure there will be tears from me at some point. but that’s ok. I guess i’m used to it now.
If you need some great tips and advice from those warriors at the NHS here click here or pop over to our get help page to find someone to talk too.
Good ideas sometimes take way longer than first thought, this is very true for our latest set of films.
We wanted to create non scary films that support people with energy consumption worries. Something that was good advice … but delivered in a kind fun way.
So that’s what we did. Set in a CGI environment created in Blender. Link to Download We love blender btw … if you want free 3d modeling animation software thats free use blender … I mentioned free twice cos i still cant believe its free.
Anyway … our inspiration was of course Ikea … so we set about creating a furniture shop … well sections of a furniture shop anyway. Something we are all familiar with and something that is relatable.
It turned out to be a huge project … and very time consuming.
Behind the scenes … well not really but it’s kinda fun
Using stop motion animation to create the films as our hardware could’nt cope with ex[orting 30 seconds of full animation, Each frame to export to around 15 minutes … with 24 frames in a second you start to get why it took us so long to make 6 x 30 second films.
Having said all that … delighted with the outcome … and we have plans to make these type of films again … with a twist … watch this space
I know things are a bit shit these days, but this isn’t one of those facts and figures kind of stories. This is about simple things we can all try to feel a bit less worried about what’s going on. Saving energy and helping the planet in a small way.
Most of this sounds obvious … yet some (most) of us don’t do it. Simple things make a difference.
Getting in the habit of turning things off not only saves a bit of money … but makes us feel like we are doing something positive. And let’s face it … none of us want to give energy companies any more cash than we absolutely have too.
Lights
Switch off lights you aren’t using
Lights … sounds simple enough. It’s a mind set thing … get into the habit of turning them off. LED bulbs are cheap these days too … try Wilko … enough said.
Shutting down laptop saves energy and its better for the computer
Laptop … we all do this … shut it down rather than closing the lid. Way better for the laptop, and energy usage. Laptops do run better when they are cool.
Wash cooler or eco … washing powders are amazing these days … cheap or expensive ones … they all work well on colder washes. Lets face it we tend to wear something once then wash it.
Shower … try a quick shower … something that helps is music on a phone, easy to know how long your shower is. Try turning the temp down … even if it’s a tiny change, like half a turn on the temp gauge, so you hardly notice it .. all helps.
Try not to use the remote when turning things off.
Stand by … simple really … turn the tv off … rather than leaving it on standby. if it’s easier turn it off at the wall, Rather than using the remote. Will prolong life of your tv too.
Drying clothes when it’s cold does work … mad i know.
Dry clothes outside … even when its cold. This sounds a bit far-fetched … but it really works. It’s to do with the triple point of water … water at 0 degrees is a solid liquid and gas … I get a bit lost at all this but it does work. If you are lucky enough to have the capacity to dry outside … what’s stopping you? Helps prevent moisture building up, causing damp and other horrid things.
Gordon Ramsay makes out that microwaves suck … but they are great … well they are very energy efficient. If you can cook it in a microwave … (of course check the instructions first) Do it … even if you start it in the microwave and finish in the oven, it’s still better. Can also try cooking for a few days … spag boll is great the following day … tastes better somehow … not the Spaghetti though … cook that when you want it
Hot water
Coffee … I love coffee … drink far to much of course, so have been boiling the kettle, and filling a thermos … cos apparently you are not suppose to use boiling water in coffee anyway. Every time I need a coffee … I use the hot water in the flask. sounds like a pain … but its weirdly easy to do. Every time you use hot water you will be amazed at how hot it still is.
Tech
Buying new stuff … if you are lucky enough to be buying a new tv/washing machine or whatever … make sure its energy efficient. The A to G stickers. You will be amazed how many things even now days are very bad with energy consumption
Draughts
Block them … with whatever you can find around the place. Old towels are good … if you are like me and rent … stopping drafts permanently can be difficult. Short term fix work well … then if you are feeling brave ask your landlord (odd phrase) to insulate.
But this is important … if you are cold. Put the heating on. If you can turn radiators off in rooms you don’t use then that’s great. But don’t just turn everything off … cos its cold some-days … and there is nothing more miserable than being stuck in a cold flat or house. Worried about what’s happening.
Starting is the one
Once you get into the habit of turning off lights, or washing at 20°C it’s amazing how easy it becomes … getting into saving energy not just to save cash … but it does make a difference for the planet.
