Self Employment Part II

Well that’s it, the end of my first month of self employment!! It’s certainly been a roller-coaster, we’ve sorted out a fair bit of stuff between the 4 of us  but we still have an awful lot to sort. One of the highlights was launching our first client site in Brew Star, a cracking little new brewery up in Morpeth who asked us to build them a new website (which you can check out here).  Along with their website we also completed some branding for new Middlesbrough based  brewery, Trueffit Bewing Co which I for one can’t wait to see on the pumps in pubs. We also launched our own website, which you can find at www.lemontopcreative.com it’s still a work in progress so keep checking the blog for latest updates, also keep an eye on the...

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Farndale Daffodil Walk

This is a short but stunning walk if you pick the right time of year, as there are literally thousands of daffodils covering the ground as far as the eye can see. It’s best not to go on a weekend as it’s usually packed with tourists but you really do need to go and give it a go sometime. It’s also not far from some excellent moorland haunts and coastal villages so you can always do it as part of a day out. If you want to make it a bit longer you can head past the Feversham arms up the bank to The Lion at Blakey Ridge or take one of the many paths that lead up and around the valley. Distance: 4 Miles Terrain: Woodland paths Best time of year: Spring so the daffodil’s are in full bloom. Refreshments: Daffy Cafe at High mill and Feversham arms...

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Self Employment

For those of you that read the blog on a regular basis will have noticed that my posts have dropped off since the end of January. The main reason for this was I was unfortunately made redundant so spent most of February searching for a job, going to interviews and wondering what I was going to do next. It’s not the first time I’ve been made redundant, the first time was just about 5 years ago and at the time we’d just got our first mortgage on our first house. Luckily I found a job pretty quickly and haven’t looked back, until now. This time the redundancy came even more out of the blue and at possibly an even worse time as in November we decided to get married…in April. As with most things, there’s not much you can do in these...

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Berghaus Smoulder Hoody

A couple of weeks ago I was looking through the Berghaus website when I noticed they no longer do the version of the Smoulder Hoody (or is it Hoodie?) that’s been a constant companion on almost every walking trip for the last couple of years (including the coast to coast), it seems to have been replaced by a jacket version and a non hooded version. I’m a little bit gutted to be honest as I was planning on getting another one as It’s been my favourite bit of kit for colder weather. The smoulder is made from Polartec Power Dry High Efficiency fabric which feels like microfleece but with a waffle pattern, making it light and warm whilst wicking moisture really well. Just like the Berghaus zip neck base layers the zip is a really good length to allow...

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Tested: Berghaus Long Sleeve Tech Tee Zip

Just before christmas Go Outdoors very kindly sent me a Berghaus Long Sleeve Tech Tee Zip which I gave my first impressions on here. Since writing that post I’ve pretty much lived in it, whether I’ve been nipping to the shops, trundling across the moors or hitting the X-trainer on a morning this top has been part of my kit, I’ve worn it as a t-shirt, under various jumpers and coats and really given it a good hammering. I’m pleased to report its every bit as good as my favoured old Berhaus X-staitc Tees. Berghaus’ new Argentium Tech T fabric uses silver-ion technology to keep sweat and smells at bay as well as offering permanent UV protection, I can’t comment on the UV protection as it’s not exactly bright sunshine here...

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Fairfield Horseshoe Walk

In good weather the Fairfield hoseshoe is one of the most beautiful walking routes in the Lake District, unfortunately for us the weather on this occasion, for the most part was anything but good. Length : 11.4 miles Terrain: Tracks, paths, some steep ascent and descent, Refreshments: Nothing en route but plenty of places in Ambleside and Rydal. Things to look out for: Rydal Mount, Rydal Church, the views from the top. Start/finish: Carpark near Rydal Kit Taken: O/R rucksack, Aku Boots,X-socks airforce 1, X-bionic baselayer pants,  Montane Terra Convert Pant, Berghaus Smoulder Hoodie, Rab Super Dru Jacket, Montain Air Pant, First Aid Kit, Leatherman, Buff, Berghaus Tech T, 2 bottles of water, Iphone, Timex Expedition watch, Petzl Tikka Plus 2,  Garmin GPS...

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Just In: Berghaus Long Sleeve Tech Tee Zip

I’ve been buying Berghaus base layers for a long while now, they’ve always offered great value for money, excellent performance and come in an array of retina burning colours.  I was gutted when they stopped producing my favourite versions,the ones with X-static silver fabric in, as they were brilliant for multi day trips as the silver stopped them getting stinky. So when Go Outdoors asked if I’d like to try one of the new base layers, I speedily took them up on their offer and ordered the aptly named Blaze Red. The new tops are made from Berghaus’ new Argentium Tech T fabric which sounds very similar to the old X-static fabric, using silver-ion technology to keep sweat and smells at bay as well as offering permanent UV...

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