2013年1月30日星期三

Ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering


From Glencoe, we headed along the Argyll coast to Oban. Blasting from the speakers comes tunes from the Peat Bog Fairies, Red Hot Chilli Pipers and the Corries. Oban is the Seafood Capital of Scotland and boasts arguably the country's finest seafood restaurant, Ee-usk, where a main will set you back about £20. I settled for Fish'n'Chips down on the main drag, which was more suited a backpacker's budget. Marvellous!Oh, and don't forget to pay Oban Distillery a visit. The staff there are some of the most helpful you're likely to meet in the Scotch Whisky community, members of whom can sometimes stare down their noses at the novice Scotch drinker. They have informative displays on different varieties and tasting notes on each.
Our night in Oban was spent tearing up the dancefloor at the Skippinish Ceilidh House, which puts on special Ceilidh nights. Ceilidh is a traditional Gaelic social gathering where Gaelic folk music is played. Venue owners Andrew Stevenson and Phil McPhail play the bulk of the music and are part of a well-known Scottish band Skippenish. A cracking night was had with the locals and tourists alike enjoying one of Scotland's oldest traditions.Hungover and a tad sad and sorry for myself, I drag myself out of bed to the bus for an 8am departure from Oban.Table chatter around the excellent breakfast at Oban Backpackers goes in one ear and out the other as my vice-like grip on a 2L bottle of Evian only tightens.
Our first stop is Kilmartin, one of Scotland's richest prehistoric landscapes. Dotted throughout Kilmartin Glen lie ancient large standing stones which hold clues to life in the area as far back as the Bronze Age (3000BC). More than 350 ancient monuments lie within a 10km radius of Kilmartin Village. In the village itself, there is an impressive museum that explains each of the sites and their significance.From here, we're off to Dunadd Hill Fort. From ground level, it just looks like a small hill. But when you climb it and see the rock carvings that still exist from 500AD, you can see why it's regarded as one of Scotland's most important hill forts. From the top, you can easily see Jura in the distance, home to the famous Jura Whisky distillery and the isle where George Orwell wrote 1984.On the way to Edinburgh we pass through Lochgilphead, a blink-and-you'd-miss-it town which wouldn't get a mention except for one eight-year-old girl who make international headlines recently.

2013年1月29日星期二

Silver And Its Role In Modern Fashion Jewelry


Sterling Silver is the most widely used precious metal in jewelry. You will find everything ranging from silver rings, Sterling Silver necklaces, silver earrings, silver pendants, silver bracelets and what not. Silver is cheaper hence affordable for most of us. Also, silver goes pretty well with any kind of skin tone, hence it is popular in every community. Pure silver is very soft hence some other metals like Copper are added to add durability. Also it is impossible to manipulate pure silver and it is impossible to use them in working articles.Sterling silver is the most common form used in silver jewelry, and contains 92.5 percent of silver and rest copper. Another lesser popular alloy used in silver jewelry is silver 800, which contains 80 percent silver and 20 percent other metals. Another variant of silver jewelry is silver coated jewelry, which is cheaper and less durable.
It is now possible to buy affordable, yet attractive silver jewelry, sitting back at home. Online shopping gives the power to make smart choices at attractive prices. Silverjewelry.com is a trustworthy online retailer of all kinds of Sterling Silver Jewelry/Silver Jewelry.Wedding Rings- Important Ornament For The Indian Bride.They can be called as the top retailer and manufacturer of cubic zirconia sterling silver jewelry in US. All the products bought from this website are free from defects, as they are manually checked before sending for shipments.
The brand is now been loved by many famous celebrity actresses, models and artists. The reason is top notch manufacturing along with attractive designs by creative designers. On the website you can individually browse for Bridal rings, fancy rings, mens rings, wedding rings, wedding sets, anklets, chains, pendants, bracelets, earrings, eternity rings, toe rings and silver charms. Just check the designs once and you will be blown. They also promise that their prices are better than any other market or online store.Every piece of sterling silver jewelry is stamped with 925 as a mark of pure silver. With silverjewelry.com you cant go wrong and if your needs are different from whats available on the website, contact them and they should be able to fix you with your desired design and pattern.In order to create a barefoot sandal, you need to find a pattern by looking through internet sites and jewelry making books. Then, you could start by buying a thick string, some beads and clasps. You could use a Synbond or Silimide or even a doubled Nymo. Of course, it would be nice if you could also get a toolbox that can hold all your materials. After that, you can start doing some beadwork. Now, you have a colorful way of spending your free time. Best of all, it has the potential to turn into a successful home business in the future.

2013年1月24日星期四

Wedding Rings- Important Ornament For The Indian Bride


India is a lively country with varied cultures living together in harmony. Each and every state in India has its own unique and distinctive culture, beliefs, customs and dressing style. Likewise, Indian weddings are diverse and very flamboyant where every religion celebrates their weddings with traditional ceremonies and rituals mixed with a lot of fun and excitement. The bride and the groom on their wedding day wear designer clothes with traditional touch which have striking and colorful embroidery or Zari work compiled with heavy Indian gold and Kundan jewelry.Jewelry is an integral part of Indian culture at the time of the wedding. It plays an important part in the journey of a girl to woman. Once a girl reaches the marriageable age, her parents start collecting wedding jewelry for her, it becomes an essential thing. As per the old Indian culture, it is considered as a dowry but now its not like that. At the present time, the parents wish to give all these to their daughters as a love and blessing and not the grooms family.
Not only the traditional gold jewelry, now-a-days, most of the women prefer wearing matching jewels, be it of gold, silver, pearl, Kundan, or any other artificial stone. There are a lot of assortments available in the market with matching studs and bracelets that are given to the girl at the time of her marriage. Each and every woman dreams of wearing exclusive jewellery on her wedding day and designer and dazzling diamond ring on her engagement day.
Dont forget, it doesnt matter how expensive bridal jewellery you are going to get for the bride, however what matters is the style and design. Women have an everlasting love for wedding jewellery as it helps heighten their beauty. Jewellery such as wedding rings and other fashion jewellery are available exclusively for the brides. These days, each and every woman has a nice collection of fashion accessories in her closet. Youll get to see varied styles of jewelry adorned by a bride.
The grace and elegance define a fashionable woman and her magnificence and beauty is noticeable by what she wears. Over and above clothes or anything else, jewellery is something that considered as the most important fashion accessory and defining part of a womans wardrobe. A girl who is just in her adolescences would also wish to wear trendy jewellery but not anything gaudy or loud. She likes to be simply at her best by just wearing the little embellishments that ooze her cuteness and charm as well as make her look sweet. Each and every girl waits for her wedding day to wear heavy, exclusive, dazzling, and expensive ornaments.

2013年1月22日星期二

Body jewellery and toe rings an ideal gift


Jewellery and body jewellery have been given as gifts for thousands of years, given prominently during ancient Greek and Egyptian times. The tradition of giving a gift of jewellery is still very popular, and all that has changed since ancient times is the type of item and its style. Nowadays, jewellery function has expanded, and although necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings are traditional and beautiful, it is likely that each woman has a jewellery box full of such pieces. To give a gift which is unique and more likely to be worn regularly, consider toe rings or body jewellery. Toe rings are ideal for spring and summer wear as they look beautiful with bare feet, sandals and flip flops, but they can also add a sparkle with strappy heels in the evening all year round. Gifts of toe rings are admired by any woman who wants to add a classy and stylish finishing touch to their feet, and are equally ideal for those who are immaculately preened to draw attention to their manicure or those who have little time for painting nails but want to create a glamorous look in an instant.
Where giving traditional rings as gifts require the complex knowledge of a specific size and tend to be a serious symbol of commitment, toe rings are more fun, light-hearted and only require an estimate of whether the recipient will be small, medium or large. Another advantage of giving toe rings as a gift is some designs are open and slightly adjustable, so a fit doesnt have to be perfect. Toe rings are available in a range of designs using quality gold and gemstones such as amethyst, topaz and garnets to add extra eyecatching sparkle.
If you are looking for a really quirky gift, and your recipient has piercings, consider giving a piece of body jewellery. Body jewellery such as belly bars, tongue bars and nose studs is a useful yet beautiful gift for anyone with such a piercing. All body jewellery should be high quality because of its contact with the blood stream, and it is an item which is not often bought for oneself. A belly bar or any such piece of body jewellery should be made with high quality 14ct gold, and are available from quality jewellers in a range of lengths.The length required can be measured simply and secretly using one of the recipients existing belly bars. Belly bars make a great gift because there are a huge number of designs available which can be completely subtle or an eyecatching drop design, where gems in the shape of a heart, crucifix or a dragonfly hang below the naval. Whether you are looking for body jewellery for piercings or regular jewellery ensure you give a quality piece which will be treasured for many years to come.

2013年1月17日星期四

Can Bladder Stones In Cats Be Prevented?


If you've ever had any experience with a cat bladder stone, you want to know why this happened to your cat and how to prevent it from happening in the future.  By the time you've finished reading this article, you'll have a better understanding of bladder stones in cats.Researchers have several theories on this.  The most commonly accepted one is that they form due to high mineral levels in your cat's urine.  This can be due to a bladder infection or from his diet.  When the mineral levels get too high, crystals form.  These crystals grow and form stones in your cat's bladder.  These stones can be very small, about the size of a grain of sand, or they can grow to the size of a small pebble.
If a stone blocks one of your cat's ureters (the tube leading from the kidney to the bladder), or his urethra, a urinary blockage can occur, making it difficult or impossible for him to pass urine. A urinary blockage is a very serious conditon, which can lead to death by uremic poisoning within 36 hours.  This is a veterinary emergency, so it's important to get your cat to the vet as soon as possible.The most important thing you can do is to start feeding your cat a high quality canned food.Cats who eat dry food exclusively are more prone to developing bladder stones because they are usually chronically dehydrated. Since the leading cause of death in older cats is kidney failure, there's bound to be a relationship between long-term dehydration and kidney disease.Cats are made to get most of their water from their prey.  A mouse is over 90% water, so a cat in its natural environment doesn't need to drink as much water.
Most canned foods have a moisture level of about 78%.  You can see that feeding your cat canned food will help prevent him from becoming dehydrated.  A cat that is dehydrated will have very concentrated urine, which can lead to the formation of bladder stones.Be sure your cat always has plenty of clean fresh water available.  It's best to give him filtered water to be sure it's pure.  A cat that drinks plenty of water will have dilute urine, which is helpful in preventing bladder stones.Some cat owners give their cats a supplement containing cranberry.  Cranberry is great for making the urine more acidic and preventing the formation of bladder stones.  It also helps to prevent cat bladder infections, too.People have been using herbal remedies like uva ursi and barberry to treat and prevent urinary problems for centuries.  Homeopathic remedies are  in great demand as well.Now cat owners are asking if these herbal pet remedies can help their cats.The answer is yes.The advantages of these remedies is that not only are they safe and effective, but they're inexpensive, and don't have any side effects.