Having lived in Skipton all my life (31 years) and with a tummy that never stops rumbling I thought I’d share my top 5 Skipton Restaurants’ with you………

Number Five – Sam Houston’s, Water Street, Skipton

Sam’s back was the message earlier this year and yes he’s back with a bang! Sam Houston’s opened its doors over 20 years ago bringing Tex Mex to the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. Sam’s re-opened under new management earlier this year and pride themselves on serving fresh, affordable Mexican food in traditional surroundings.

20 years on it’s fiesta time again in Sunny Skipton!

Number Four – Emporio Italia, Mill Bridge, Skipton

A new addition to the Skipton scene this summer, Emporio Italia is a great place for evening meals as well as a tasty lunch. It aims to build on the solid reputation already established by their sister restaurant in nearby town Ilkley. The place is authentic Italian throughout, from the background music to the red neckerchiefs worn by the chefs and the dried provisions for sale on shelves. The food is delicious, but it tastes twice as good because of the staff’s abundant enthusiasm!

Lunch of Pizza or Pasta is around £6. Dinner offers early bird menu, Pizza / Pasta or more individual options from £7 upwards.

At Emporio Italia you really could be on a gondola in Venice!

Number Three – Nosh, Newmarket Street, Skipton

Following the move from Devonshire Place to its current location within the Boutique 25 restaurant (in my former dentists) it brings back (not so happy) memories of my childhood! One glimpse of the stylish decor and a couple of pre-meal cocktails in 25 below, the in-house cocktail and champagne bar, remove all fears! Serving excellent, well presented fresh food and deliciously sweet desserts (not sure my dentist would approve)

Number Two – Aeolos, Cavendish Street, Skipton

I visited this place for the first time only three weeks ago! Situated away from the High Street (formally No1) this place is sometimes overlooked by hungry diners but it’s certainly a place I wouldn’t forget in a hurry!

The old Victorian building has been decorated sympathetically with pergolas, vines and grapes but still keeps all its beautiful grand house features. As Skipton’s only greek restaurant, complete with dancing and traditional plate smashing, this place really comes alive.

The Meze is certainly not for the faint hearted but highly recommended!

Number One – Canalside, Coach Street, Skipton

Formally the Waterfront Nightclub and previously “The Barge” (before my time!) the Canalside is set in one of Skipton’s landmark buildings. It offers fresh, home cooked fare in a wonderful picturesque location on the banks of the Leeds – Liverpool Canal.

With an excellent Sunday Lunch for friends coupled with great value “early bird” deals,The Canalside is my number one choice when eating out in Skipton!

Visit ORCA Local Skipton to find out how ORCA Local is helping Skipton Shops survive the recession.

Take for example a hallway.  By adding a mirror near the main entrance to the hall where a light source is you can instantly add more light to what would normally be a dark room.  This is because the mirror can bounce the light against the walls better than the natural light can manage on its own.

Another example is to take a large oak mirror and add it to a wall in your lounge or living room.  Provided it is placed in the right way you can make the room appear bigger than it actually is and is ideal for smaller rooms in the house, a nice oak mirror can also have the advantage of making the room look nicer and more homely in addition to the mirrors standard purpose and use.

The final example like the first example focuses on light and what a mirror can achieve.  By adding a mirror to a room and positioning light sources whether that be natural or artificial close to the mirror you can create a mood in a room and change the way the light falls in the room especially in the evening when there is little natural light.  A tall lamp next to a mirror can light up a whole room reducing the need for extra lighting and ultimately saving cost of electricity.

Think about adding a mirror to the next room you decorate and see what effects you can make.

There’s a fantastic milk chocolate reindeer that’s for a dark chocolate nose and white chocolate trimmings. It can have a name iced on his tummy too, making it a lovely gift for little children who’ll love seeing their name on it!

With advent calendars too you’ll find Thorntons is great for all sorts of lovely gift ideas. Every child should have a chocolate filled advent calendar and with Thorntons you get delicious thorntons chocolate inside! Another great gift that can be personalised even when you buy online.

The milk chocolate santa is lovely. It’s got a smashing white chocolate beard and hat trim.

For those who feel white chocolate is their must have chocolate then there’s a lovely delicious looking snowman with a milk chocolate hat topping him off.

For football fans they have a chocolate boot available as a gift. Their chocolate piggy bank is pure inspiration as is comes with chocolate coins too! What a fantastic idea complementing the chocolate coins that have been around for years!

One of their ever popular chocolate models is the champagne bottle made from chocolate. This is a really great gift as you get it iced with a message and then see their face light up when they unwrap it!

As well as all these delightful gifts they’ve gone one further and now you can personalise a box of chocolates, not just by picking the recipient’s favourite chocolates for inside, but to decorate the outside with a photo of your choice. This is a great gift idea and you can match the photos according to the person you’re sending it to. For grandparents a lovely photo of the grandchildren would go down well, and for friends you could use a favourite snap shot!

You see I do everything online – I shop for groceries online, I order my music online, book my holidays online, and last year I even managed to process my divorce online.

I have Facebook, Twitter, email, MSN messenger and numerous other accounts that I cannot even remember now.

I have itunes, an ipod, an iphone and a Mac Book. What more could I need or have to prove how young at heart I am?

Well, according to a new online survey, i’m not alone, and actually, my eagerness to join the youth of today actually singles me out as being older than I am.

You see I am actually 26, but the survey ( conducted from a sample base of 5000 people ) reveals that anyone with all the above is typically going to be in the age group of 35-40 – where have I gone wrong? Should I start to sell my new millenium goods and chattels on Ebay, or will that in itself mark me out for being even older?

The reasoning is actually quite logical – to afford all of the latest “must haves” you need to have a higher level of disposable income, which characteristically comes from the age of being 30+. Below that age and you may have the latest Ipod, but are unlikely to have the Iphone and Mac Book as well.

This is all fine and dandy I suppose, and I can just about live with it – but how comes my kids tell me they have to have all of what I have? Surely that makes my 14 year old daughter 35 and above.

Do you know what, I think I give up!

They make a fantastic gift for everyone and there’s so many different types that you’ll find the perfect chocolate for whoever.

If you’re on a budget don’t worry as there are cheaper chocolates that are still great for gifts and very classy offers from some of the big names in the world of chocolate. Shopping online for chocolate makes it so much easier than trying to cram in some high street shopping on your lunch hour. Browse the chocolate shops and pick out the perfect chocolate gift.

Buying chocolates does require a little knowledge of the recipient. Think about what sort of chocolates they love, what have you seen them enjoying? Some people love liqueur chocolates and some love really dark high cocoa chocolate. Some love the sweetness of chocolate that’s creamy and smooth with soft centres. Some lovely chocolate covered nuts. Take a moment to think about the person you’re buying chocolates for. Do they love a particular brand of chocolates in a box? Do they prefer milk or dark? For most people you know well it is easy to think about what chocolates you should buy for them.

If they like some really unusual types of chocolate, don’t worry as the Chocolate Trading Company has lots of amazing chocolates including ones with chili, as well as more usual types like champagne truffles. If you’ve got a chocoholic to buy for then have you thought about buying them a chocolate hamper? This would give them a range of chocolates to try and is a really great gift for someone who likes to explore chocolate!

Whether you enjoy a real tree or an artificial one is entirely up to you. There’s a huge choice of both types available on the market. The biggest effort comes with the real tree as these can drop needles if they’re cheap ones or are kept too hot indoors. Real trees are so beautiful though and can smell so nice, like having the forest inside your home.

Artificial trees on the other hand make less mess, only need to be paid for once, will last for years, get packed away into the loft until next year and don’t require special collection by bin men after Christmas!

You could of course buy a new tree every year and if your tree is a bit old and threadbare then why not consider treating yourself to a new one. You can not get full dressed and lit trees that appear almost by magic from a box. If you’re after a quick and effective way of decorating your home then an instant tree is the thing for you. For most people there’s a sense of pleasure that comes from dressing the tree with ornaments that often have great sentimental value and lots of memories attached.

If you adore your tree then you can always spice it up with a new set of decorations or some lovely long tinsel to wrap around it. This can make all the different to a tired tree! Disguising the base is easy if you have boxes wrapped up in wrapping paper sat round the tree. They don’t have to be real presents either – you can use empty boxes to make it look like you’re going to have an amazing Christmas!

Insulating the loft can also be done by professional firms for a small charge. There are frequently grants available for this so if you are on a low income then you might need to ask about this when making enquiries. As with all work you’re having done on your home get a few quotes and take references. Some local council’s trading standards departments keep lists of recommended workmen. This list is known as a TradeSafe list. It’s well worth asking if your local council has such a list.

Cavity wall insulation needs to be done by a specialist company and can make a lot of difference to how warm your house gets and stays when you have the heating on.

Draft proofing is simple and can be done easily by almost anyone. There are lots of packs available for doors, windows and hot water tanks. These items can be easily fitted at home and cut down on the amount of money you spend on heating.

If you take all these simple measures you should find your home is easier to heat and will also save you lots of money on your energy bills. This means in turn that you’re helping to save the planet!

If you have single glazing then you should look at replacing this with good quality double glazing which cuts down on drafts and also keeps the heat in better.

For people who don’t send many texts, or don’t make many calls from a mobile then it can make perfect sense to just have a cheap PAYG phone.

Always take note of how often you top up your phone too – that way you’ll soon notice if you start to top up regularly and then it might be worth making the switch to a mobile phone contract where you’d get free texts and minutes for the amount you’re topping up.

Some occasions it is handy to have a spare mobile phone that you don’t use for everyday. Such as putting items in the small ads, or on the advert board at the supermarket. That way you won’t be bothered with callers on your normal phone and you’ll separate calls off so you know what they’re for. In terms of privacy this is much better than giving away your home phone number.

You might also find it useful to use a PAYG mobile when making enquiries about work such as double glazing or building work. Some companies are terrible at removing your number from their lists and will constantly pester you for years about whether you want work doing or not.

You can get some pretty funky phones on PAYG at the moment too – with phones being available with email, bluetooth and loads of functionality that you’d expect from a mobile phone these days. Always check the cost of using services such as internet though as this can be expensive on some pay as you go phones.

On Vodafone the cheapest pay as you go mobile is only £20. This is a bargain! It’s a Nokia too which is a good quality phone to have. This cheap Nokia 1661 has built in FM radio, a torch – plus a speaking alarm clock too!

Purchasing the right size bowl for your dog will aid in the goal of good nutrition. It is also important to remember that depending on the size of your dog, he or she may need a bowl riser. A bowl riser is a perfect addition to your dog bowl if you have a medium to large size dog because it makes your dog’s food and water easier to reach and aides in good digestion. On the same token, a smaller dog will need a much smaller bowl and will need it close to the floor so he or she can reach it more easily.

It is always a good thing to remember that if your dog has trouble reaching his or her food; it may interfere with digestion and can cause upset stomach or other minor health issues. You can find dog bowls and risers both online and in your local pet supply store. The online boutiques usually have a much better selection and may be able to offer larger discounts because their overhead is always much lower than the more traditional type of store. When it comes to the most basic necessities for your pet, the bowls you choose are the cornerstone to your animal’s overall health and well being.

Among the numerous styles available, the most popular are the Standard Grade pop up, the Commercial Grade, the Photo Mural model, the Fabric Mural model and the Wall Frame model. Each style is distinct and unique in their use and each serves a very valuable purpose in the world of advertising, marketing and promoting. You can easily find these models and more online.

Pop up display units are being used all over the world by participants in trade show events, seminars and other gatherings promoting products and services or providing information. Pop up displays allow businesses to project a professional look and appeal to capture the attention of potential customers. After all, that’s what advertising is all about, creating an impression and finding the way into potential customer’s minds and memories.