Another brilliant bit of Lego modelling.

So it’s nearly here. September. The end of the summer. The time that schoolchildren and teachers dread, but most parents look forward to. That time of year when you can feel the mornings and evenings getting a bit nippier. The point in the calendar when you know summer is ending.

I noticed it two mornings ago really. When I woke up in the morning, the breeze coming in my bedroom window was no longer the muggy heat of August, but the chill morning air that I still associate with new blazers and squeaky new school shoes. There was no doubt about it, September was in the air.

I should know that this is coming. I work in a school, and things have gradually been revving up again over the past week. Teaching staff have been crawling out of the woodwork, and the relaxed pace of the summer holidays has gradually been replaced by a sense of urgency, as we all realise how little we’ve actually managed to get done since July.

Still, there are a lot of good sides to September getting closer. When the children go back to school, order is restored. Traffic mounts up at fixed times of the day, so at least you know what to expect. During holiday time, random lunchtime-on-a-Tuesday traffic jams seem to spring out of nowhere. At least during term time you know that between 7.45 – 9.00, the traffic will be bad. So you can plan accordingly. It’s all about order.

I also like the fact that it’s getting a bit cooler. I am 7 months pregnant at the moment, and the heat has been really getting to me. I am, therefore, quite looking forward to a bit of a respite from being constantly too hot. I like coats and scarves and hats and gloves too – accessorising your winter wardrobe is always good.

So, as I look back over a fun and fabulous summer, I am still quite glad that it’s nearly over. Bring on the falling leaves, chilly mornings and first frosts – I can handle it!!

A Sentry fire safe is a must for keeping your important documents safe in case of a fire. ABC News in America wanted to test out whether these safes will do what they claim to do – remain fire and waterproof in the case of a house fire or flood. This video shows you their conclusions…

Click here to view the embedded video.

I am a girl with an eye for a fabulous new product. One of the advantages of writing this blog is that I get to look into such things, and then tell you lovely readers all about it. So, I was looking through the new products that Fire Protection Online are selling, when I came across a Firetext Smoke Alarm.

Now, hopefully we are all familiar with smoke alarms. These nifty devices can detect smoke in the air in your house or business premises, and will then sound an alarm to alert you to the potential fire – as the saying goes, there’s no smoke without fire! This is how a traditional smoke alarm would function, and is all fine and dandy providing that you are in the vicinity in order to hear the alarm.

However, what if you were not there to hear it? Or, if you look after someone with special needs, or a disability, or an elderly person that requires extra care? What if you are away on holiday? Or you have responsibility for vacant premises – small business units, or an outbuilding, a holiday home, a caravan…the possibilities are endless. Well, in these cases, it wouldn’t be much use having just an alarm sounding, as no-one would be there to hear it, thus defeating the object of the exercise.

This is where the Firetext smoke alarm comes into play. This device has a patented, built-in SIM card which will send a text message to up to four mobile phone numbers to alert you that smoke has been detected . Pretty nifty, don’t you think? The SIM card is provided with the alarm, and all you need to do is to top it up with a minimum of £10 credit. The texts are sent using the O2 network, and are charged at 10 pence each – a bit of a bargain for such a useful service.

The smoke alarm has a photo-electrical optical smoke detector – which makes it less sensitive to toasters! – and comes with a two year guarantee. The development of this item is supported by the Alzheimer’s Society and Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Services, and it even won an award from Barclays Bank.

Personally, I think this is a really good idea – giving you peace of mind wherever you are. It can also reassure vulnerable people that someone will know if their smoke detector goes off, and will be able to help them if needed. Top marks to the creators of this device – and hurrah for new FPO products!!

Love this – Legohenge!

I don’t remember the Will Smith film looking quite like this…!

The famous Abbey Road album cover given a Lego twist!

This Lego version of the famous New York poster made me smile today – enjoy!

In the news today, there’s a story about a fire at Sir Richard Branson’s Caribbean home. The fire was started when lightning hit the Virgin boss’ ‘Great House’ on his private island, Necker. The island is located in the British Virgin Islands, and was hit by a tropical storm last night.

There were approximately 20 guests staying at the property, including Sir Richard’s 90 year-old mother, and the Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet, who was on holiday there with her boyfriend and two children. The multi-millionaire was staying at another property, approximately 100 yards away, with his wife Joan, and their 25 year old son, Sam.

Ms Winslet and Branson’s nephew, Jack, rushed to the aid of the other guests, and Kate helped to carry out Branson’s mother from the burning building.

Everyone managed to escape from the building unharmed, and although there is a lot of damage to the property, everyone is staying on the island for the time being. Mr Branson said that his office, which was based in the house, had been completely destroyed, adding “I have lost thousands of photographs, which is very sad”.

The 60-year-old purchased the entire island of Necker in the early 1980s, building an onsite eco-resort as well as his Great House in 1982.

Sir Richard said: “It’s very much the Dunkirk Spirit here. We want to rebuild the house as soon as we can.

“We have a wonderful staff here and we want them to stay in work.

“There’s a lot of damage but we’ll create something even more special out of the ruins.”

Lower Gardens in Bournemouth

Now when you think about the fire brigade, I would imagine that your mind first jumps to a big towering inferno, lots of smoke and heat and people needing rescuing from the flames. Well, that is definitely a big part of their job, but today in not-so-sunny Dorset, where I reside, they were being called out for an entirely different reason.

Torrential rain, thunder and lightning hit my adopted home county today, resulting in flash floods, damage to property and travel chaos. The rain was so heavy, that one road actually split, due to the pressure of the water running through the drains beneath it.

So, although you normally associate the fire department with, well…fires, in this case, they were helping out in flooding situations – not what you would normally associate with the department and their vast array of fire safety equipment. Every fire crew in Dorset and neighbouring Hampshire was either on standby, or actually attending a flooding incident this morning.

The Dorset Fire and Rescue Service received 50 calls within half and hour, and calls were still coming in thick and fast. Fire fighters attended many incidents in the county, including large businesses such as Asda, House of Fraser, and even the Russell Cotes Museum.

Fire crews were called to the Bournemouth Nuffied Hospital, where patients had to be evacuated after a ceiling collapsed due to the weight of the rain water.

The fire service advised that if flood water is entering your home, you turn off the electricity at the mains, and move to higher rooms in the house. You should take any precious objects with you where possible, and if water is entering the house, you should ring the fire brigade. Although it may take a while for them to get to you in situations like this, they will get there as soon as they can.

So, Dorset is a very soggy place today. The Lower Gardens in Bournemouth are completely covered in water, and the Bournemouth Air Festival which was due to start today has had all events cancelled for the day. Hopefully things will dry out soon, but just remember, your friendly fire department are always there in wet or dry situations!