CDT's Adventures In The Land Of Squidoo!

I run a driving school and often get asked how Urdu and Punjabi speaking learner drivers wanting to take their UK driving test can get help in preparing for the UK Theory Test.

I’ve put together two separate resource pages with links to a selection of Theory Test study and training materials which have translated the DSA Theory Test question bank and Highway Code from English into Urdu and Punjabi. There’s also Hazard Perception test software now available in Urdu and Punjabi.

For more information, please see:

Taking The UK Theory Test In Urdu

Taking The UK Theory Test In Punjabi

Pentagram Jewelry - great gift ideas for Pagans, Wiccans & Witches!

Make the Pagan, Wiccan or Witch in your life happy with some stylish pentagram jewelry!

The pentagram/pentacle is a five pointed star, an ancient symbol which has been used in many eras and by many cultures and religions throughout the world.

 The pentagram has been linked to Alchemy, The Kabbalah, Freemasonry, Satanism, Wicca, Neo-Paganism and Astrology amongst other practices.

Nowadays, the pentagram is a common symbol used in areas as diverse as police badges, corporate logos and on more than forty national flags.

The pentagram is commonly associated with the beliefs of Paganism and Wicca and features on a wide variety of designs for amulets, jewelry and accessories.

Pentagram/pentacle jewelry makes the perfect gift for Pagans, Wiccans and Witches and a wide selection of pentagram jewelry designs are available such as necklaces, pendants, chokers, earrings, bracelets, watches, rings, belt buckles, keyrings, purses, wallets and bags.

For more information see Pentagram Jewelry, Accessories & Gifts

I run a driving school in Slough, an area with a large Polish community. I often get asked how Polish speaking learner drivers wanting to take their UK driving test can get help in preparing for the UK Theory Test.

I’ve put together a resource page with links to a selection of Theory Test study and training materials which have translated the Highway Code and the DSA Theory Test question bank from English into Polish. There’s also Hazard Perception test software now available in Polish.

For more information, please see:  Taking The UK Theory Test In Polish

The Yin Yang (or as it should really be called, Taijitu), is one of the most striking and well known symbols in the world.

Deriving from Taoism, the meaning of the Taijitu is complex, but simply put, the two black and white teardrop shaped halves of a circle represent many different aspects of existence including unity, movement, change and inter-dependance.

The Taijitu is widely incorporated into many popular modern designs.

I’ve put together a selection of Yin Yang jewelry including pendants, rings, earrings,cufflinks, bracelets and bangles as well as keychains and watches and other jewelry, gifts and accessories with a Yin Yang design.

If you’re looking to make a spiritual statement or for an attractive gift for someone special, check out Ying Yang Jewelry, Accessories & Gifts!

With Valentines Day just around the corner, many people will be looking for ideas for something special to buy their partner.

Heart shaped jewelry makes the perfect gift for Valentines Day

Flowers, chocolates and romantic dinners are lovely – but they don’t last!

If you’re looking for a Valentines Day gift for the one you love, why not get them something that they can keep and treasure forever?

Heart shaped jewelry is the perfect way to say “I love you”!

Check out Heart Shaped Jewelry, Accessories & Gifts to see  a wide selection of heart shaped jewelry with everything from earrings, necklaces, pendants and lockets to rings, bracelets and watches and other Valentines Day gift suggestions on a “heart theme”!

I’ve been so busy since the end of Summer School that I haven’t had time to write any new lenses, let alone blog!

I’ve put this situation to rights over the last week or so though and FINALLY got round to writing a series of lenses all about how to do all the manoeuvres required for the UK driving test.

As I own a driving school, this lens-making marathon was a bit of a busman’s holiday – very enjoyable and my efforts are already showing very healthy search engine traffic

The lenses in this series are;

How To Reverse Around A Corner

How To Do A Turn In The Road

How To Bay Park

How To Parallel Park

How To Do An Emergency Stop

I’ve also written a lensography to tie the whole series together – Driving Test Manoeuvres

I hope these lenses prove useful to learner drivers

Well, that’s that! Yesterday I finished my final lens for the Giant Squid Summer School 2009. The last eight weeks have flown by!

The last assignment was to produce a lens on your favourite Summer entertainment destination. I chose a lovely theme park – Legoland Windsor, which just so happens to be very close to where I live and which was a great favourite when my sons were little boys (way back in the day when they liked going out and having fun…now they’re 19 and seem to be asleep when I’m awake and vice versa, so I hardly see them even though we all live in the same house :( ).

Anyway, pining for my formerly cute baby boys aside, I finished the lens yesterday, published it, added it to the links plexo on the Summer School Week 8 homework lens (where you can see all the submitted Week 8 lenses) and wandered over to the Giant Squids Forum to post all 8 of my lenses in the appropriate thread as requested by the Giant Squid Greeters.

I was gobsmacked when within literally 15 minutes, I received an email, telling me I’d been awarded a Purple Star for Legoland Windsor! I was so surprised, I was temporarily speechless (quite a rare occurence) – VERY pleased though! What a lovely way to end Summer School

This was the second Purple Star I received for a Summer School lens, the first being for my Week 2 lens (most treasured possession) Photographs Of My Father. I was over the moon to get one Purple Star…to get two is awesome! THANK YOU to the Purple Star Gods (or should that be Goddesses)

I had reservations about signing up for Summer School, as I’m a proper slowcoach when it comes to making lenses. I get ideas, ponder them, mentally chew on them and finally decide that no-one would want to read what I have to say on Subject X.  Then I usually change my mind and think “Well maybe someone might…”, ponder all over again, re- reject 99% of ideas and eventually make a lens on the remaining 1%  :)

I signed up to Summer School because I felt I needed a kick up the bottom in order to stop procrastinating and get on with things

It worked!

I’ve enjoyed Summer School FAR more than I thought I was going to and apart from a couple of weeks when I dithered about my subject matter, I’ve just got on with it and followed my hunches as to what topics would make a decent lens. I’m pleased to say that so far all of my Summer School lenses are doing OK in terms of search engine traffic and lensrank – my Week 1 lens (Caption Contest module), Funny Road Signs has even reached the dizzy heights of Tier 1 – w00t!!!!!!

I was also delighted to receive a Guestbook comment from no less a personage than Megan Casey for my Week 7 lens (book review), The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman, in which she said that she was actually in the process of reading the book! Neil Gaiman is a fantastic author and I can highly recommend his work.

So, what next? Will the lens making frenzy of Summer School be a mere flash in the pan and will CDT return to her former slothlike state of non-dynamism when it comes to lens output?

No!

Following on from my Week 5 Summer School lens – How To Do A Turn In The Road, I’ve been inspired to do a whole series of lenses on “How-To” do all the manoeuvres required for the UK driving test. As I own and run a driving school, this will be a useful information resource both for my own customers and for other learner drivers. I can tie this forthcoming series of lenses into all my other “learner driver” lenses and link them into my (current) top ranking lens, UK Practical Driving Test (Cars).

Aside from that, I dragged my Significant Other out with his camera to take pictures of all the Listed Buildings and interesting architectural features in my local area which will go nicely with the theme started in my Week 6 lens about The Ostrich Inn, Colnbrook, Berkshire, so expect more lenses on that theme from me.

Oh…and restaurant reviews. I enjoyed the Week 3 challenge so much and produced a lens about an incredible restaurant (Sarastro – The Opera Themed Restaurant In Covent Garden London) and it’s given me some ideas for reviews of other amazing restaurants I’ve eaten in!

So yes, I’m so glad I did Summer School – it’s unlocked my repressed creativity If I carry on being as dynamic as this, maybe I’ll have an amazing idea for an invention or a successful business, get rich and end up on Dragons Den on TV like Deborah Meaden, a lady I admire greatly and the subject of my Week 4 Summer School lens…oh well, a girl can dream!

I hope everyone else who participated in Giant Squid Summer School 2009, enjoyed it and got as much out of it as I did

As we approach the end of the Giant Squid Summer School 2009,  I thought I’d get myself organised and make a lensography of all my Summer School lenses.

I’ve taken the opportunity to discuss my general approach to lensmaking (slow!) and how I approached each week’s lens assignment. Some weeks I found inspiration very hard and others were a doddle.

There’s one more week to go, but the seven lenses I’ve produced so far are doing pretty well in terms of visitors. My Week 1 lens (lens using the new Caption Contest module) – Funny Road Signs has made it into Tier 1, while my Week 3 lens (restaurant review) – Sarastro, The Opera Themed Restaurant In Covent Garden, London is doing well in Tier 2.

I was delighted to get a Purple Star for my Week 2 lens (most treasured possession) Photographs Of My Father.

I’ve enjoyed taking part in Summer School – considerably more than I thought I would! I would probably not have made five of the seven lenses I’ve made so far if I hadn’t had to think around a given subject…participating in Summer School has been a really worthwhile experience for me and has made me broaden my lensmaking horizons considerably

I wonder what challenge Week 8 will hold…bring it on

Well it’s taken over 6 weeks but I’ve finally got a Squid Top blog up and running!

Many thanks to the fluffanutta for his help on SquidU.

Looking forward to finding my way around WordPress