After months of searching for a good local Chinese restaurant near Waltham Cross, Enfield and Cheshunt a colleague told me of a good restaurant in Cheshunt called China Star. I called up and made a reservation for Valentine’s Day. As its just off the main high road in Cheshunt the first thing you will notice is there is no parking but if you take the first left after the restaurant there is a car park where you can park for free after 6pm.
As you walk in to the restaurant you are greeted by friendly smiling waitresses waiting to seat you, if you do not like the table they are happy to seat you elsewhere. The decor is very nice and authentic and the lighting and music was really soothing. For Valentine’s Day there were candles on the table and roses everywhere. We were given enough time to choose our food and asked if we wanted them in order of dish or all together. I ordered the crab and sweet corn soup and it was very delicious, soon after the man course was served.
As there are so many options to choose from it’s very difficult to decide what to choose for a main, I chose the shredded duck with some rice a vegetables as a side. My partner chose sweet and sour chicken with noodles. As we enjoy spicy food we had to ask for some chilli but all they have is chilli oil which is a bit disappointing. A small portion of rice is actually quite a lot even for two people so I would only order one. The services are very efficient but beware when they serve you because they do charge you for that.
At the end of the meal you can ask for the desert menu, they have ice cream filled into little porcelain mugs that they wash and you can take home with you. For Valentine’s Day they all had hearts on the cups. For children they have cartoon character cups such as Tweety, Sylvester and the Coyote.
Overall the food and service was very it was so good that we go for birthdays, anniversaries and whenever we have a lazy weekend. Due the food being inexpensive but very delicious you can expect to pay under £100 for a group of 5. I do recommend this restaurant as they have everything even the lobster is exquisite try it once and you’ll keep coming back.
As we all know ladies love pearls nearly as much as they do diamonds. Pearls will retain their value and if looked after properly can last forever. Knowing how to spot a good quality pearl is hard and unless you have experience in this field you couldn’t recognise a fake even if it was staring you in the face.
Buying pearls online
Most people will prefer to buy pearls, diamonds and clothes in a shop rather than online but did you know you can make substantial savings buying online and better from the supplier directly. Cutting out the middle man will bring costs down as a shop will buy pearls cheap and then add a hefty profit on it for when it comes to selling. If you choose to buy online make sure it is an accredited company holding a Jewellery Professional Diploma and with most pearls you get a certificate authenticating the pearls value. Having certified jewellery not only gives you piece of mind should you need to sell it to raise some money but also proof if you need to make an insurance claim.
Buying pearls from Pearls Only UK
My partner was the first to discover this website and treated me to my very first Tahitian pearl pendant for my 22nd birthday. I like to be different and he made the right choice by choosing a Tahitian pearl, all my work colleagues are much older than me so they knew that Tahitian pearls are expensive and well sought after. Unfortunately my colleagues have never had the chance to own good quality pearls and after I told them about Pearls Only they are now proud owners of lovely pearls.
After this my husband bought me Japanese Akoya pearl earrings, they do match my Tahitian pearl necklace but there is a slight difference if you look closely. Again my partner made the right choice as they are beautiful.
What I like about Pearls Only is they have fantastic customer service, delivery and products. Due to high demand for some bespoke products they do give you an average delivery time so you can plan ahead and purchase in good time. Pearls Only also offer a gift wrap service and a little message if it’s a present for someone. They also sent an email when the pearls were being dispatched so we could look out for them. As part of being a valued customer with Pearls Only they remember you and give you further discounts when purchasing more products.
Pearls only also include a little pouch that is used to preserve pearl quality and prevent scratches, as a bonus you can also get a free gift depending on how much you spend. In the past I have gotten a pearl necklace and earrings. Remember to wear pearls every now and again to allow them to breathe as keeping in a pouch can also affect quality.
As I have recently done my kitchen my mum was so impressed at ho something so simple could transform the home she decided to do hers too. My mum has been extremely lucky in some ways as she has never had to do a kitchen before in her life. I offered to help her choose one and plan it all as I had recently been through it myself so off the journey that would soon turn into a nightmare began.
Finding Wickes kitchens
As I had already advised my mum against Homebase kitchens she looked into getting a B&Q kitchen instead. She had made an appointment and I was there with her, we went a little earlier to check out the whole kitchen range. It was very disappointing and massively overpriced, as we contemplated if we should stay or go when I looked at the carcasses I knew B&Q wasn’t for her. We proceeded to Wickes and looked at all the kitchen ranges in Waltham Cross. When my mum found the kitchen she liked we made an appointment for the following week. We went home and double checked all the measurements and other kitchen companies.
Wickes kitchen designer
We were greeted by Andy the kitchen designer who thanked us for making a wonderful choice; he then said straight away that he had a Wickes kitchen and that he had sold 10 alone this week! He then made the kitchen plan and we then started to choose accessories such as door handles sink and tap. I’m so glad I was there with my mum as he tried to make her buy a £250 sink excluding taps! There was nothing special about the sink and we declined, the taps were also overpriced so we decided to purchase it separately. The cost of the kitchen rose to £4,500 and my mum got a free dishwasher for spending over £3,500. As I looked at all the costs the appliances alone were costing over £2,000! I went onto Curry’s, Comet and even Dixons to find the appliances cheaper, we purchased them separately saving my mum over £800.
There is a design flaw with Wickes kitchens as all cheap DIY store kitchens do. The corner cabinet doesn’t allow one of the handles to stick out as the doors have been badly designed. It’s truly a shame that there were also some fitting problems due to poor workmanship. As we got an experienced carpenter to fit the kitchen he truly did a good job where you can’t notice all the imperfections.
If you are looking to buy a Wickes kitchen I would only advise them for rental properties, and to buy appliances separately. Also be careful of Andy as he just wants to make a sale to claim commission and doesn’t really care about anything else. I would also never advise a woman to go alone as these sales people can be very persuading and persistent.
I would like to add that ideally we all want a luxurious kitchen where no expense is spared but in the current climate where no one stays in the same house for more than 5 years it was silly to buy a Moben kitchen at the cost of £10,000+. If my mum had a lovely country home in the countryside where the style and cost would be appreciated then that’s what she would’ve gone for. At the end of the day you only buy what you need and all my mum needed was a hob she could cook on a some extra worktop space.
For as long as I can remember I have been a serial nail biter, only now after 20 odd years have I had the self control to let my nails grow. At first like all nail biters will know I had very weak nails, after growing just a little they would split and I would have to start all over again. After a year of pampering my nails were finally strong and healthy enough to start having manicures and nail art. As my work was very hands on I found that my nails wouldn’t last very long they would chip, split or the nail varnish would be gone after just a few days. I even tried to wear gloves to make my nails last longer but it still didn’t work. After a year of paying nail technicians to do my nails I decided to try and do them myself.
Do your own French tips effortlessly
We all like classic simple designs such as French tips, going to a salon can cost anything up £50 just for a little bit of nail polish. After perfecting my own technique I would like to share the easiest way to get French tips or smile lines as some people also call them.
Have to hand a small glass, like a shot glass
Fill it up with some nail polish remover
Have a good quality paintbrush to hand
Line the surface with some kitchen towels
Try and paint across the nail as neatly as you can
Then dip the paintbrush into the nail polish remover and remove excess nail polish
This is the simplest way to have neat and simple French tips, after a while you may also find that you no longer need a paintbrush to neaten the smile line.
Nail art flowers at home
Doing your own flowers on your nails is easy; there are a few ways of doing so each of them unique in their own way.
Method 1:
Place 5 dots of nail polish in a circle
From the centre of the dot use a toothpick to drag to the middle
Let it dry then add a diamante or nail polish dot in the middle
This method creates the illusion of petals
Method 2:
Place 5 dots of nail polish in a circle and leave to dry
You can add a diamante or nail polish dot in the middle to finish off
Experiment with your own designs, remember to buy fast dry nail polish or nail oil so that nails dry in a few minutes. If you were to let nails dry naturally it could take anywhere up to 3 hours.
What is a lie detector test?
As the title suggests your heart rate and pupil are monitored to see if you are lying. Your heart will beat faster if a question you are asked shocks you and your pupil will also widen. Lie detector tests are performed for a whole range of reasons; it can be for a criminal who won’t confess to a crime, an unfaithful partner or a pre-employment check. Contrary to what you see on the TV you now know that a lie detector test is not just for cheating partners.
Lie detector test cost?
The cost of a lie detector cost can vary from region to region and how experienced the examiner is. You can expect to pay from £500 and more if the tester will have to travel far to reach you. You can meet at the office if it’s a company or at a hotel or meeting room if the examiner is freelance. If the lie detector test is for a personal issue the examiner can travel to your home if preferred.
How does the lie detector work?
The whole thing can take up to 3 hours or more depending on the reason for the test, the most time consuming is the pre test interview and the questions to be asked. The examiner will need to hear the whole story before conducting the test and will then come up with a list of questions to determine whether or not the person is lying. The examiner will also explain how the test works and give you the opportunity to ask any questions. All answers should be answered with a simple yes or no; by hesitating and saying anything other than this you may affect your result.
The set of questions will be asked 3-4 times to get an accurate reading, during this process you will also be given the opportunity to confess to anything you may have done. You will be asked to sit on a chair facing away from the examiner with your hand resting on a table. You may have a camera pointing to your eye to check pupil responses. A finger plate may be clipped on the forefinger to measure pulse and tubes may be placed on the chest area to record breathing.
Before the examiner gives an answer the results of the chart will be reviewed, if there is any doubt the examiner may consult another examiner for a second opinion but in most cases an answer is given straight away.
Coming up to my sisters’ 21st birthday party I decided it was time for a new haircut to update my style and since I hadn’t been for one since November. I’ve had a bob for a few months now and back in November I had a full fringe. I decided to let it grow and have a side fringe with my layers trimmed and my length the same. I also have a grand wedding to attend in April so growing my hair is the better option to cutting it short again.
Finding Academy hair and beauty
I last had my haircut at Try angles just across the road from Academy and found that they looked busier and friendly. The next time I was in town I popped in to Academy and made a hair appointment, whilst I waited for the reception staff who was answering a call I noticed they also do nails, facials and hair extensions. As I like to be able to do everything in one place this was very convenient for me to know. If I wanted the nail technician could come and do my nails as I had my haircut, talk about VIP service.
Academy haircut
I booked my appointment with a senior stylist called Rachael, she was a lovely woman who greeted me and then took me to have my hair washed. As I was still growing out my fringe she couldn’t really give me the side fringe I wanted. Instead I got a slightly slanted side fringe trim that in a few weeks will be really noticeable. The haircut itself was very professional and a very pleasant experience and as Rachael has been there for 21 years I was very confident from the start that she would do a really good job. Academy hair and beauty is now the third salon I have tried in Welwyn Garden City and I can say that I will be making it my regular.
While my hair was being blow dried I noticed a catalogue on hair extensions I decided to have a free consultation to get an idea of price. I was lucky enough to be seen straight after my hair was styled, I was shown hair colour samples and lengths. The most common hair extension length is 40cm as 50cm is unadvisable to the weight. I wasn’t very impressed by the hair samples and the cost for me was £700 with about 5 hours of work to add them into my existing hair. If the hair was of better quality I would probably have gone for it but luckily enough for me my hair grows really quick.
I would thoroughly recommend Academy hair and beauty as all the staff from reception to stylist was very friendly, professional and competent. I have had the best haircut in a long time and would like to share my experience with everyone. For a cut and blow dry with a senior stylist it cost me £46.50 which was money well spent!
I usually have a haircut every 6-8 weeks and after having my last one at Saks Welwyn Garden City I decided that it wasn’t for me and that I should try a new hair salon. As I have already been to a Toni and Guy salon I decided to try a local salon that isn’t a high street chain.
Upon arriving at Tryangles hair salon I was greeted and a gown placed on me while I waited for a sink to become free for my hair wash. I was escorted by a young girl who then had a nice little conversation with me whilst washing my hair. I was asked if I wanted conditioner and other hair products before it was slapped on. I was then greeted by my hairdresser who then advised me on what would suit me best. As I have had a bob with bangs at the side I was very eager to change my look now that my hair was longer. The hairdresser said now that my hair was longer I could have it all the same length and she tidied up my fringe for me. I had tried to cut my fringe a week before my haircut and this was the biggest mistake I made, it was just wrong.
After my layers were trimmed slightly and my fringe cut properly I was beginning to feel better, as you do after you have a haircut. I had a little product added to my hair to keep the shape and then my hair was blow dried.
The whole experience was ok there was nothing really special about the haircut and staff was ok, they also do nails at this hair salon but again nothing really special. The haircut cost me £35 for a cut and blow dry with a senior stylist, if I was desperate I probably would go again but because of lack of concentration and conversation I would stay away. I also asked for a patch test whilst I was there and it took the hairdresser 10 minutes to come back to apply it behind my ear! I think that was a little unreasonable and she didn’t give an explanation or apologise for her absence.
When I started to decorate my living room I always knew that I wouldn’t settle for anything other than a corner L shape sofa. Although I painted my living room cream with a red flowery feature wall I wanted a red sofa to lift the room so it wouldn’t look so boring. It was proving difficult finding a sofa that would meet my taste and when I realised my dad’s 60th was just round the corner I had to act fast.
I went to DFS, Land of Leather, Harvey’s and other local sofa merchants and they didn’t really have anything that I was looking for. As I was adamant that I wanted a corner sofa all the stores were saying it was at least 3 months before the sofa would be delivered. I had a month before I had a party at my house and was finding it difficult to find a sofa that would be delivered on time! I even looked at ‘normal’ sofa sets that had a 3 seater, 2 seater and armchair but I still wasn’t satisfied.
Finding Nabru
I decided to go on the internet and see if I could get a custom made sofa in time for my dad’s party, I stumbled across Nabru and found that I could have a sofa meeting my requirements in as little as 3 days! I was very impressed but for those who don’t know about Nabru sofas they are self assembly sofas that have a wooden base. At first I was very sceptical of this as the prices of the sofas are very cheap; I was also concerned about how long the sofas would last. I decided to go to the showroom and see for myself. The showroom for Nabru sofas is in Uxbridge and living in Hertfordshire the drive there wasn’t too bad.
The showroom is within a business park and upon arrival we were greeted by a sales person who showed us the different combinations and fabric options that were available. The sofas were very well presented and the options were incredible, it was so nice to see that they had already made sofas in different combinations. As I was set on a corner sofa whilst in the showroom I changed my mind to a U shape sofa unit. The sales person sat down and did the design for us on the computer; it was fantastic seeing it in 3D. We took the specification with us to check over at home and decided to go for it.
Before purchasing a Nabru sofa I did read some reviews and they were very good! I decided to see for myself and go ahead and purchase. I had a red base with cream suede seating and metal feet, we also paid £40 for the delivery person to assemble it for us as we were busy decorating at the time. The man who assembled the sofa was very quick and assembled it in 30 minutes, we were glad we paid for the service as we had so much to do. I also like the fact that if you want to change the combination by adding a seat or even splitting it into two you could! I was tempted to buy a sofa bed but after seeing how thin it was I changed my mind. The sofas are very big and can sleep three people or seat 13 people!
I purchased my sofa May 2009 and eight months later it’s still in perfect condition, seats are still firm and base as solid as when I first bought it. I thoroughly recommended Nabru for good customer service, delivery and workmanship.
After trying to save for a few years I decided that a separate account to the one where I was paid into was a better way of keeping money in the bank. After many recommendations from friends I was advised to go with Lloyds TSB for good customer service and internet banking.
Opening an account with Lloyds TSB was very fairly straightforward and the financial advisor was very helpful. After receiving my new card and account details I was ready to set up internet banking to further keep an eye on my finances.
I called up customer services and advised me that I could do online without having to speak to someone first. I went onto the website and found this to be incorrect and had to hold another 15 minutes before my call could be answered. I had to wait for my internet banking ID to come through the post before I could continue. After 5 days my internet banking ID came through the post and was advised to set up a password and internet ID code. This was very confusing as the internet banking is not very straight forward. After not using my account for 6 months when I tried to login it didn’t work. I had to call customer services again to reset my account, which they finally did.
I was informed that I would receive a monthly statement so I could keep track of my money, I never did receive a statement the whole time I banked with them. I was with Lloyds TSB for 2 years and I have to keep calling to get them to send a statement and even then I was lucky to receive even one a year. I have called in to the branch several times and they still didn’t sort out my statement delivery. They don’t even send an email like HSBC do to say that the statement is now available online!
When you open an account with Lloyds TSB you are asked to sign in a box and they keep this as proof of signature. I did this when I first opened my account and even though I did this they still asked me to do this 3 more times, which I refused. I have even handed over my proof of signature personally to the branch and they still didn’t have the audacity to update their systems!
I have now closed my account and withdrawn my money, closing the account to less than a minute and it’s the best decision I have ever made. If you want good customer service and reliable, easy to understand internet banking then this is not the bank for you. Save yourself unnecessary grief and bank elsewhere.
After buying a new house, I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to move in or rent it out while I spend some much deserved time travelling the world. Due to being undecided I opted to buy a cheap kitchen that would last at least 5 years until I decided what I wanted to do with it.
Choosing my new kitchen
I first went to Moben and found the starting prices for the kitchens to be £5000; I then went to B&Q but couldn’t find a simple design for a rental property. I then ended up in Homebase and found a simple white gloss kitchen design. I spoke to an advisor who went through the things I required in my kitchen and he quoted me around £5000 for the kitchen. I told him it was absurd and I could get it for half that price.
Homebase kitchen planning
I came for my appointment in Homebase Enfield and was greeted by Jonathan the kitchen planner. After going through the kitchen specification, he then proceeded to design the layout for me. As there was some information missing, I then had to arrange another appointment for the final details. Upon arriving he had another client with him so I waited and after 20 minutes I was ready to leave. In total I waited over an hour! I had enough and left the premises. He phoned to apologise and asked me to come down again but I refused. After much grovelling, I gave in and went back. I managed to get the kitchen down to £1200 and bought the taps and sink somewhere else because it was much cheaper.
Fitting Homebase kitchen
The quote for a kitchen fitter cost more than the kitchen coming in at £2500, so I refused, I found a local kitchen fitter who did it for £650. He had many problems with the workmanship of the kitchen units, the hinges provided were wrong! I had to go back and forth trying to find the correct ones; the same went for the corner unit next to my sink in the kitchen. The design planning was bad and the corner door wouldn’t open! Luckily I had a reliable kitchen fitter to correct the mistakes made by Homebase!
As I was undecided about whether to buy a gas hob or an electric hob Jonathan advised it was against the law to have a gas hob in front of a window, we listened to him and bought an electric hob. When we were having the kitchen fitted we had a council planner over and asked him about the gas hob in front of the window. He said there were currently no regulations that were in place preventing us from doing so! I was so angry that I wanted to sue him; I then decided it wasn’t worth it but I have written this to warn people of the dangers of buying a kitchen from Homebase.
Don’t buy a kitchen from homebase as the unnecessary mistakes cost me time and money, Jonathan isn’t well trained and Homebase kitchens are not worth the money!!