Today is widely reported to be the busiest day for online Christmas shopping in the UK.  An estimated £8 billion will be spent during the course of the day by online Christmas shoppers.  We think that sounds pretty disgusting considering the world of abject poverty many live in.  So instead of a post talking about stocking fillers and gift ideas we thought we would offer a bit of light, but tasty, relief.

Put down your credit card, forget about choosing between next day delivery or standard delivery, ignore the manufactured pressure to conform by joining the world of AWOL employees (yes an acronym for everything, apparently today AWOL means At Work- On Line) and join us for a bit of baking instead.

Here is an incredibly simple recipe for some tasty, warming scones to cheer up your bowl of soup this lunchtime.

Measure out 10oz self raising flour into a large bowl with a pinch of salt and a pinch of mustard powder (optional).  Add 2oz of cooking margarine or butter and using an everyday knife shop the fat into the flour until it is all in tiny pieces.  Use your fingerstips to rug the mixture together until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Grate 3oz cheddar cheese, combine with the flour mix.  Pour in 1/4 pint of milk and combine until the dough leaves the sides of the bowl.  Turn onto a floured worksurface and either or roll out or gentle press out with your fingers until the dough is about 2-3cm thick.  Cut out your scones, this amount of dough should produce about a dozen scones.  Bake in a hot oven, 200C, for 8-10 minutes.

Enjoy hot with butter and a hearty bowl of soup.  Delicious, and not an online bargain in site.

Despite the relatively mild temperatures and pleasant weather this week, we are probably going to get our fair share of cold winter weather in the coming months.  Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security – get ready for winter now with our range of winter essentials.

We are eargerly awaiting another order of these lovely hand warmers from our friends at the Ways & Means Trust, a charity that for four decades has been providing rehabilitation and training for adults with recurring mental ill health or with a learning disability.

With more than 20 years experience of making heat pack products the Charity produces handmade heat packs which our customers love.    Their Hot Bots have a discreetly channelled award winning design to ensure a constant, even distribution of oats.  They larger heat packs will snuggle comfortably into the body’s natural contours, to give relief and help relax muscles knotted by injury, inflammation or everyday living.   But possibly the most popular of the heat packs we sell are the Hot Bots hand warmers.  Simple heat up and keep your hands nice and warm whatever the weather.

To heat, place the heat pack in a microwave for the required length of time (full instructions included).  Microwaving heats the starch within the husk of the grain; the stronger the husk, the longer both the heat and the product lasts.  These heat packs are made using only oats, which have extremely robust husks, unlike wheat or rice, often used by other manufactures of heat packs.  Simple but really effective and very cosy.

We also stock other heat pads and wheat packs.  To come and have a look at these lovely stocking fillers pop into the shop.  More Winter Essentials coming soon, watch this space.

We have now had our first taste of winter.  The clocks have been wound back and hour, the guisers have been – to those you of from south of the border ‘guisers’ are Halloween Trick or Treaters – and Guy Fawkes night has gone off with a bang.

Beautiful but very cold!

It was the perfect night for a bonfire, a lovely crescent moon, clear skies and millions of stars shining overhead.  Of course, the clear skies meant that it was a very cold night and the next morning the windows were covered in stunning frost ferns contrasted against the chill blue sky and sunshine.  Absolutely gorgeous.

But lets not be lulled into a false sense of optimism for the coming winter.  By all accounts there is some serious weather on the way.

We have just finished unpacking our second, yes, second of the season already, delivery of ice grips for shoes.  This year, after a lot of research we have gone for an ice grip from the USA – where they really know a thing or two about serious waeather – Yaktrax Walkers are ice grips that fit on over your normal shoe or boot to provide extra traction for snowy and icy conditions.  The clever part is the hand coiled rustproof metal spring that provides the grip.  So no sharp studs to replace.

They are really easy to pull on and quick to take off when you enter a building or a vehicle.  We love them, and judging by how fast they are jumping off the shelves we will be placing another order very soon, and with any luck, before the snow comes.

Are we in for more of this?

The Whistling Tortoise is always looking for new ways to promote our products to spread the word

Kitchen Gadgets with Easy Grips

about all the clever aids and gadgets there are available that can help with everyday independent living.  Our online store is availble for everyone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, whether researching products or buying something that is needed as quickly as possible, we aim to promote only the best in mobility products.

Recently we were invited by Amazon, the online shop front, to open a store on their site.  This has been a huge success and we are now busy shipping out orders to new customers throughout the UK.  There are many online retailers of mobility products and, on the face of it, lots of bargains to be had.   We are particularly careful to only sell products that we know are tried and tested and suitable for purpose from our carefully selected and trusted suppliers.  Our research tells us that many people trust Amazon and do a lot of online shopping with them, safe in the knowledge that there is consumer protection in buying through such a well known company.  We ensure that our customers are buying quality products and the genuine article, as there are many imposters out there, especially on the internet.

So far we have been concentrating on heat pads and health care products by Beurer and genuine Theraputty on Amazon, but we would like to include many more of our mobility products, from incontinence care to walking aids.

Tri-Walker Frame with Shopping Bag

The problem, and its a good problem to have, is that products are being sold at such a rate that it is hard to keep up!  This means that we need to add more products to our Amazon shop and we thought the best people to decide what we should add is you.  We would love to hear from you if you have suggestions for new mobility lines to sell through Amazon.

We want to let people know that help is at hand, whether it is a simple grab rail to make bathing safer, a kitchen gadget to open difficult jars at the touch of a button or an all singing, all dancing rise and recline chair made to measure and upholstered to coordinate with your living room.

Be secure in the knowledge that we are selling the genuine article and happy online shopping!

Specially Designed Thermoskin Gloves

Arthritis can be cruel.  The pain and discomfort in the wrists and hands particularly can make everday tasks difficult, if not impossible.  Turning taps, gripping kitchen implements and doing up buttons can become terribly frustrating.   Old remedies like soaking your hands in warm oil work well, but can be messy, and are most definitely time consuming and maybe not just as convenient as we would like.   Our answer to that is Thermoskin Gloves -  a great solution which increases circulation to the hand and fingers and in particular inflammed areas of  discomfort.  The gloves are very comfortable and keep the hands warm but also offer relief from arthiritc pain.  They are specially designed and lined with Trioxin fabric which is soft and causes no irritation to the skin even when the gloves are worn for long periods of time.  This special lining Read more »

It’s been a long, cold and white winter here in Edinburgh. That has meant many keen golfers have been under their wives’ (or husbands’) feet for many weeks. Many golf courses are still under snow, believe it or not, and it has been a frustrating time for lots of golfers and their other halves!

Uncle H has had a back problem for many years, it has affected his whole life, but he refuses to let it be a major problem. The golf course being closed for so long has been a BIG problem though. Read more »

You might imagine that Tortoises can be slow on the uptake.  You would be wrong.  All the latest gadgets and technologies are eagerly tried and tested.  Some make us whistle in admiration and others just infuriate us!

Lately we have discovered the brilliance of Facebook. For nearly 4 years people have been catching up with friends, finding lost loves, promoting charity work, recalling school days, sharing photographs, news and so much more – all from the comfort of their own computer using Facebook which is a social networking website.
Read more »

Imagine trying to do normal everyday things with just one hand…go on try.  Its really, really tricky.  Of course it is  – all the things we take for granted and do without thinking are the little things that become enourmous tasks when you are hindered in anyway.

It’s the simple solutions that can be life changing for someone with limited mobility, after a stroke for example.  Read more »

Grumpy Bear’s back was sore – he was always complaining about it. It ached in the morning when he got out of bed, it ached in the evening when he got home and it was especially sore after he had driven all the way home with the honey. That was until he got a BackFriend for Christmas from Mrs Bear. How his life has changed! Backache is no longer a pain in the neck in the Three Bear’s house.

They went to the Whistling Tortoise and were delighted to learn that they could take as many supports, cushions and wedges as they wanted to their own car to try out. Read more »