Summer Snacks:Watermelon

Hello! ~(⚈∇⚈)~
★☆★Remember, there might not be a blog post tomorrow!★☆★
Wow, it's already the 7th of August, which means there is only so much time left to post about all sorts of fun Summer things while it lasts. Today, I am going to post about one of my favourite Summer snacks, which I did eat quite a lot of this year. It's delicious ice-cold, very sweet,red,and has a habit of being quite messy to eat!
The snack I'm talking about is...
♥WATERMELON!♥
Watermelon is a delicious Summer snack, and during other times of the year you can't buy them, or they are difficult to find.

Serving suggestion

If you remember, a few days ago I also posted a tutorial teaching you how to make a mini watermelon out of various rubber bands.

Anyway,there are loads of ways to enjoy this sweet fruit, here are my favourites!

~-Don't forget-~

➤ Watermelon tastes best and is most refreshing when ice-cold.

➤Don't leave watermelon out for long! It will dry out and taste strange, the texture will be unpleasant too.

➤To store leftover watermelon, I suggest wrapping it in something such as cellophane and storing it in the fridge.

➤Watermelons need large,sharp knives to be cut. I suggest that if you are young, you are supervised and assisted by an adult while cutting watermelon, or have an adult cut it for you.

 How to enjoy watermelon!
❃ Cut the watermelon up into slices, this is best done by cutting it in half over and over again until you reach your desired size. Remove the skin if you want to, and enjoy! This is great for tossing in a bag and taking with you as a snack on the go.
❃ Cut the watermelon into slices, then take how much watermelon you would like. Remove the skins, and dice the flesh. You can have this as a snack on the go, or you can toss it into a bowl and enjoy with a fork like dessert ^~^
❃For a summery oatmeal, ditch the classic blueberries and replace it with watermelon chunks! Sounds strange, but tastes good. If you can't stand watermelon chunks in your oatmeal, how about mixing it with watermelon puree instead? Alternatively, add watermelon to your cereal.
❃Use watermelon juice to sweeten up your water, surely makes a change from boring old water or that sour lemon water!
❃Purée watermelon and enjoy as a delicious,healthy smoothie. Add milk or yogurt if you wish.Bonus for dieters: Guilt Free!
❃Watermelon Yogurt- Start out with plain yogurt, mix in with  some watermelon purée and set it aside. Grab a bowl or something, then put leftover purée at the bottom. Purée more watermelon if needed, and then add the yogurt on top. Enjoy as a homemade alternative to fruit flavoured yogurts!
❃Watermelon Popsicles- Purée watermelon and then place it in individual popsicle moulds. Freeze and enjoy!
There are so many other ways to enjoy watermelon, from the juice to even adding it to cake! What is your favourite way?

Of course, watermelon is extremely healthy, too!
Here are the most notable health benefits you get from enjoying a watermelon popsicle or smoothie- proof that getting some beneficial vitamins and minerals can be yummy and fun!
~The red colour comes from Lycopene, an antioxidant. Antioxidants are known for their ability to protect your cells, and for fighting damage by harmful free radicals. Lycopene is also found in tomatoes. Watermelon also is a good source of other antioxidants, such as flavonoids.
~Watermelon is rich in Vitamins A and C, which are needed for good health. Hence, watermelon does good for your immune system and eyesight!
~Watermelon is also a source of Vitamin B6, needed for brain function and energy release. Back to school, anyone?
~Watermelon is a good source of potassium, essential for electrolyte balance and nerve function. It can also help with sleep!
~Watermelon contains amino acids which are beneficial to cardiovascular function.

***FUN FACTS ABOUT WATERMELON***
✣It is 92% water, hence the name watermelon!
✣There are over 1,200 varieties around the world!
✣Watermelon is grown in about 96 countries!
✣July is Watermelon month
✣Watermelon is a fruit and a vegetable!

Hopefully,you will enjoy watermelon at least once this summer!
How about spreading watermelon puree on toast?
-Queen Pickle

Sunburn and heat...stay safe from the sun!

Hello!
Happy August everybody! ^-^
Today's post is yet another post with Summer tips, because there are some things in the Summer it would be really useful to have some tips and advice on.
I am going to post about staying safe from the sun, because even though enjoying the sun outside is fun, excess exposure without protection can cause problems. The most notable are increased risk of skin cancer and also sunburn, which is a painful condition that is quite common in the Summer months. With the sun shining down on us this month, we need to know how to stay safe and enjoy the sun without suffering from sunburn! :D

Follow the tips below, and you won't have red stinging areas on your skin again!

• Sun cream- Use a sun cream of an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15. For sensitive individuals, you might want to use a higher SPF. The SPF is clearly displayed on the packaging, so make sure you pick what is right for you! I currently use sun cream with an SPF of 50 before going out into the sun. Apply the cream to all exposed areas (usually arms, legs and face) before going outside into the sun for long periods of time, and apply it again after a few hours in the sun and after going in water. 
• Sun hat- Sun hats help a lot, to protect your head from all that sun. In fact, the sun's rays can give headaches if you stay out for too long, so if you know you are going to be out in the sun for a long period of time take a sun hat with you! You don't need to wear it ALL the time, but it's sensible to have it with you.
• Sun glasses- UV rays can also damage the eyes if exposed for too long, and it's why you have been advised since childhood not to look directly at the sun. Wear sun glasses to protect your eyes from the sun, but it's still not an excuse to look directly at the sun!!!
• Stay in the shade if you can- sure, enjoy your time in the sun, but be sure to take breaks in the shade frequently so you don't get too tired out there! It also reduces your exposure to harmful UV rays, so take breaks often and make sure to go in the shade!
• Hydrate! It's easy to get dehydrated in the summer, click here for hydration tips!
• Remember the hottest part of the day tends to be between 11am and 3pm.

Stay safe Pickles, and have a great day! See you all tomorrow!
-Queen Pickle

Stay hydrated this summer!

Hey!
Summer is a time when it is easier than ever to get dehydrated- the weather's right for vigorous physical activity and because of the heat, you lose more water by sweating. Therefore, I feel the need to share some tips so you do not become dehydrated this summer, which can really be problematic!
Dehydration can make you tired,sluggish and confused, so here are my top tips for avoiding that trap. Dehydration of doom.

• ALWAYS carry a bottle of water with you to top up your water intake. Every time I go out for a short walk or shopping trip, I take a 33cl bottle of water with me. Many popular water brands sell bottles in small 33cl versions, medium 50cl versions, bigger 75cl versions, 1l versions and so forth... you need to know what you will need! If you are going to the beach, take more than one bottle of water with you.
• DRINK FIRST THING  when you wake up, reach for a bottle of water and take a few sips. Since it has most likely been a while since you last had something to drink, make sure you drink some water to top your water supply up. It doesn't have to be an entire bottle- it can just be a few sips.
• MAKE SURE  there is at least one water bottle at your bedside in case you need to drink at night. Also, it is much easier to drink as soon as you wake up that way.
• DRINK WITH EVERY MEAL as a general rule, I drink at least 1 glass of fluid with every meal. The most obvious and healthiest choice is water, but don't forget you can also drink fruit juice, milk and flavoured water. Drinking with every meal keeps you very well hydrated!
• EAT TO HYDRATE it's not just fluids, some foods can be very high in water content, too! When you are feeling hungry, perhaps consider incorporating a hydrating food. Foods such as watermelon and cucumber are high in water, but so are blueberries, strawberries, raspberries,peaches,pineapples,pears,carrots,broccoli,grapes,celery and many more! So, next time you eat a bag of crisps as a snack, try pairing it with a slice of watermelon and you're ready to go. You might find it helpful to have a handy box of blueberries of grapes too the next time you go out this summer!

BUT WATER IS BORING. 
Yes, water can get boring indeed. However, there is also milk and fruit juice, and you can flavour your water too! Try spicing up your water, and I will give you some ideas soon this summer.

Remember, 5-a-day week 2014 starts on Monday!

Experience in hospital

Hai!
Here's a fish. Take it.

I'm currently staying in hospital. Nope, don't worry,I'm totally okay. I was feeling sick about 2-4 weeks ago on and off and then my toe started to hurt, preventing me from walking. After days off school, I finally got to see a doctor and had a blood test. Nope, no magical numbing cream or anaesthesia. I was positively FRIGHTENED. I managed to survive, and the results arrived the next day. It turned out my liver was just trolling and decided to not function correctly. So, as a result, I stayed in hospital for about 7 hours before being transferred to a ward. I had a cannula inserted, this time with numbing cream, but I didn't know how they worked at the time. If you don't know, a cannula is a bit of plastic inserted into a vein with a needle and attached to some tubes and a valve thing so you can get given medication directly into your vein. I was scared, but after it was over I was much happier. I was transferred to my ward after LOTS of waiting and had to wait to get my things brought from home. So, I stayed overnight. I stayed from Friday and if everything goes well, I may be discharged today.
Here's a list of the highlights!

FOOD! The food is actually quite nice, though not quite the same compared to my mum's homemade meals (I want pancakes!). I didn't have anything to eat for AGES so the first thing I ate was a cheese sandwich and some chocolate mousse. As an avid cereal fan, I ate regular cornflakes every day for breakfast. The drinks really varied, but I mainly had orange juice and milk. Breakfast normally came at around 8am, give or take some time. Lunch came around noon, and hot food was available but I preferred sandwiches (I had a preference for ham or cheese) for lunch. There were also small desserts like fruit bags and yogurt, and sometimes cake. Sometimes, there are other things too. (Like giant cookies) Dinner is around 5-6, and although you can pick sandwiches or hot food, I usually choose hot food at this point. There's also usually small dessert, like cake.

CANNULA I honestly dreaded my medication, one is every 8 hours and another is once a day. I found a pattern lately of the 8 hour medication- 2am,10am,6pm. I hated how the first flush stings- possibly because of the salt in it (but I still sprinkled salt over my dinner because I'm awesome that way) but the stinging got more bearable. It may have hurt because a nurse flushed it- the rest was up to the machine. I was given antibiotics and vitamin K as far as I'm concerned, and it wasn't so bad. Here are techniques I used that work well for calming;

• Know when the next medicine is coming so you can be prepared.
• Find something interesting to read or watch on your phone,tablet,book or laptop to take your mind off things. I found it works better for me when the machine is doing it, not so much on the flush.
• This works for me during the flush- talk to the nurse or look out of the window. Find something to talk about, even sometimes  I just simply say that it stings and it helps.
• Crucial- DON'T THINK ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING. IF YOU THINK IT'S GONNA HURT, WELL, I GOT NEWS FOR YA, IT'S GONNA HURT.Don't think about veins,blood or stinging. Try not to look, either. When I saw my cannula inside my vein... well, I was positively frightened. DON'T.THINK.ABOUT.IT

BED  Most of my day was in bed, and it came with a little control that allowed me to change it a little. For the day, I put the back up so it was a little like a sofa, and the beds are actually quite comfortable.Well, they have to be, if I'm going to stay in them all day.

BLOOD TESTS I totally dreaded those little devils. I had at least 5-10 of them, but even though I am one of the biggest hemophobic people out there, even I have generated tips. The value of experience!
Here you are ^-^

• Drink water. It helps get your *shudder* blood flowing and opens up your *gulp* veins a little, stay hydrated! Apparently it's good to minimise stress,too.
• Ask for anaesthesia. Numbing cream stays on for about 30 minutes-1.5 hours, and can actually ELIMINATE the pain! Trust me, it worked. There is also a spray that temporarily freezes the skin. From my experience, it's not as effective as numbing cream and not as effective on its own, but it's instant. It works well in conjunction with the numbing cream and I always have them together as a reinforcing measure.
• Play a game or read beforehand to calm your mind.Do some Sudoku puzzles, read a good book, play flappy bird or try a puzzle... just stay occupied!
• Do not look at any of the equipment. See if there is anything in the room to distract you just in case; such as a window, poem or even a spot on the wall.
• Breathe deeply and count. For example, in for 4,hold for 2, out for 4... it distracts you well!
• Count! I am often quite worried and tend to count quickly, but as long as you're counting it's okay.
• Talk to whoever is doing it, I find that an excellent distraction. If you don't want to hear what's going on, SAY SO! I only like to know when it's actually in and when it's out.
• Relax as much as possible so the blood actually flows. Being tense makes it even worse!

LIFE Well, mainly in bed, really.There's a curtain I usually keep open during the day, and the view is beautiful. I have a bedside table that is normally in front of my bed,and a sofa for visitors which I sometimes use. There is also a TV/Phone thing, then again, only sometimes used.
That's all I can think of for now, what do you think? Have YOU ever stayed in hospital?