One puff too many?

There can be little doubt that we all wish for an environment that is as clean and healthy as it is possible to make.

Some of us may well remember the horrific winter fog (or smog) that chocked visitors to London - those living there were apparently used to it - but these foul emissions still pervade urban areas of China, India and a number of American cities.

Despite all this, I remain unconvinced of climate change in the long term, from diesel and petrol fumes, farm yard manure or whatever but I do have very real concerns over the willy nilly use of aerosols in the home, cafes and restaurants or around crops and animals.

Mothers and their babies are also being made ill by common household products such as fly sprays, air fresheners, polish, deodorants and hair sprays, researchers claim. They say frequent use of such chemicals appear to increase the risk of diarrhoea, earache and other symptoms in infants, as well as headaches and depression in mothers.

The findings came from a survey of more than 10,000 women on the use of fresheners and other aerosols during pregnancy and early childhood, as well as their health and that of their offspring.

Researchers in Australia have looked at the effects of chemicals known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), on infants suggest high levels of VOCs may contribute to asthma in toddlers.

Dr. Alex Farrow, of Brunel University’s school of health sciences and social care tells me: “More research is needed but in the meantime it might be safer to limit use of air fresheners and aerosols in the home. Squeezing a lemon is just as effective at freshening the air.”

Levels of VOCs in the homes could also be below established safety levels and women may be more prone to the effects of solvents due to their greater percentage of body fat, and the ‘complex mixture of unknown chemicals’ in the home may have an extra effect on their and their babies’ health.

The study, which formed part of Bristol University’s Children of the ’90s project, has followed the development of 14,000 children since before their birth. It said 32 per cent more babies suffered diarrhoea in homes where air fresheners were used daily than in those where they were used once a week or less. They also suffered more from earache. Daily use of aerosols in other products were associated with a 30 per cent rise in diarrhoea, and, to a lesser extent, vomiting.

Make the most of now!

No one can have failed to notice the thousands of touring caravans coming to West Wales each year bringing families for their well-earned annual holiday, usually to their favourite location being close to the coastal path for walking or near a safe beach for surfing and bathing.

Less noticeable than previously are the continental travellers heading for the ferries and Ireland.

Local site operators can cast their minds back to a time where touring caravans were flooding caravan parks all over the UK - even before the war.

Many still recognise and fully appreciate the many advantages of using touring caravans for holidays. A touring caravan isn’t called a touring caravan for nothing! Unlike a static caravan, these can be moved to anywhere you want just by towing them on the back of your car.

This allows for realistic ‘last-minute holidays’ and the portable element of this kind of caravan would allow for much more frequent holidays away which results in perhaps more precious family time, literally wherever your heart desires!

It is no secret that touring caravans are smaller than that of their static counterparts, however this can make the space more homely, but still allow for private spaces. If you are in need of more space, then an awning can always be attached to create some outside leisure space if you feel like that the space inside your touring caravan is too small. This can be especially useful if you are going to accommodate friends and extended family as this space can also be used as a sleeping space.

Whatever your hobby may be, if you are that passionate about it, then you can follow it around without the pressures of making it home in the same day or having to constantly pay out for a B&B. This again adds to the joy and freedom of where the touring caravan can take you, as you can go as far as you want and always have a safe place to stay and live temporarily.

But wait a minute: the Government has decreed an end to the manufacture of petrol and diesel vehicles. Can an electric car really tow a caravan? Could the end of touring caravan parks be in sight?

Depending on the battery capacity, plug-in hybrids take between four-eight hours to fully recharge at the cost of between £3 and £5 at today’s retail electricity prices.

However, the optimists say that some chargers can halve the recharge time, with next-generation super-fast chargers restoring 80 per cent of a battery’s charge in less than an hour.

So electric vehicles drive well and save money at the pumps, but perhaps the best reason for switching to touring with an electric car is that you’ll never be far away from an electrical hook-up to recharge overnight (on a caravan site!).

The biggest reservation most people have about electric vehicles is what’s often called ‘range anxiety’ - the constant worry that you could run out of power before reaching your destination.

For most people, this remains a legitimate concern, and although battery technology is improving apace, it’s a fact that all, but the most expensive electric vehicles currently struggle to cover 100 miles between charges.

Nobody’s fool!

When Albert Einstein was making the rounds of the speaker’s circuit, he usually found himself eagerly longing to get back to his laboratory work. One night as they were driving to yet another dinner, Einstein mentioned to his chauffeur (a man who somewhat resembled Einstein in looks and manner) that he was tired of speech-making.

“I have an idea, boss,” his chauffeur said. “I’ve heard you give this speech so many times, I’ll bet I could give it for you.”

Einstein laughed loudly and said: “Why not? Let’s do it!”

When they arrived at the dinner, Einstein donned the chauffeur’s cap and jacket and sat in the back of the room. The chauffeur gave a beautiful rendition of Einstein’s speech and even answered a few questions expertly.

Then a supremely pompous professor asked an extremely esoteric question about antimatter formation, digressing here and there to let everyone in the audience know that he was nobody’s fool.

Without missing a beat, the chauffeur fixed the professor with a steely stare and said: “Sir, the answer to that question is so simple that I will let my chauffeur, who is sitting in the back, answer it for me.”

Looking in the mirror

Old age is golden so I’ve heard it said, but sometimes I wonder, as I crawl into bed -with my ears in a drawer, my teeth in a cup and my glasses on the table until I get up.

As sleep dims, my vision I say to myself “Is there anything left I should lay on the shelf?”

The reason I know that my youth is all spent is my get up and go has got up and went but, in spite of it all, I’m able to grin and think of the places my get up has been!