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.

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!

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There is Sunshine on Leith today and surely a hint of spring in the air. High time to get out the walking boots and head up Arthur’s Seat.

A lovely lady visited our shop last week, fed up with the weather and despite limited mobility, desperate to get out and about. She told us a lovely story about walking through Holyrood Park under Salisbury Crags when she was a girl, long before the first lot of trams were taken away (that’s one for another day!). She described the scent of the spring air perfectly, and we could almost have been there with her. The smell of the Read more »