Sights and Sounds:The City of Edinburgh !

The City of Edinburgh is absolutely beautiful,green and scenic ! The City is replete with many classic attractions including the old English centurion model utopian castles that are fabulously breathtaking. But Edinburgh has has more to offer !

What things are there to do when visiting Edinburgh or rather what interesting things can one look foward to while in Edinburgh? Consider the following:

The Edinburgh marathon has only recently been classified in the May Edition of the Runners World's Edition as the fastest marathon in the United Kingdom(UK)and one of the 10 most popular races in the region.Mention marathon and Kenyans especilly from the Rift Valley region start to glee.

Apart from the marathon, Edinburgh has alot more to offer; consider the International Edinburgh Festival that is slotted for the 13th August 2010 to 5th September 2010. The festival will feature the best of Scottish culture,Dance, Theatre, Art,Opera, Music, Poetry, food,beer ...etc.Thousands of visitors flock the Island to experience what the event has to offer .The question of where to stay often crops up, however in edinburgh accomodation need not necessarily be an issue.If well moneyed you can choose among the many high class five star hotels in the city or in the alternative opt for the cheaper affordable, Edinburgh apartment accommodation.

Edinburgh also holds its International Film Festival(EIFF) each year which features the best in British Movie productions. This year the movie "moon"directed by Duncan Jones scooped the Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film.Hence the City of Edinburgh is live with many activities that carter for an international audience plus its one of the most green cities in Britain with plush meadows and scenic beaches and all across the nicely rented Edinburgh apartment accommodation
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Communicating with the deaf through 'Canaan Barrie' system

To be able to speak,talk and actually be heard is a gift that many of us often enjoy but faill to adequately  appreciate. It is important therefore  to some times sit back and examine the lives of those who lack this abilities or are impaired in this regards.Perhaps in doing so we may be moved to appreciate and help those who lack .In this post ,i invite you to look at that gift and how to aid those of us especially the deaf to communicate.Very few of us in this part of Africa hardly know of or have heard of the Canaan Barrie system of communication with the deaf.Well we may have heard of the Kenyan Sign language or the American Sign language ,but the Canaan Barrie system differs to some great extent from other signing languages taught in 'school for blind".

I am gifted in the sense that i married a beautiful lady who can well converse in Sign language at the same time my elder brother is an accredited sign language interpreter both in Kenyan and American sign language.However today i focus on the the "Canaan Barrie system" .So what is it? It is a  way of communicating through movement and touch for children with visual  impairment and additional support needs . It works mainly  through touch  with most signs having a specific reference point on the body. 

The Canaan Barrie System was devised and developed by a Scottish teacher by the name of Mary Lee, a mother of two visually impaired children who had specific special needs. Mrs Mary Lee has recently been awarded the lifetime achievement prize 2010 at the Scottish Education Awards in Glasgow.Mrs Lee currently teaches at the Royal Blind School in Edinburgh .She has traveled widely in charitable missions and has visited Kenya ,Uganda and Tanzania

The signs involve touching on the body or using hands or movements  close to the child. The aim is to work out a vocabulary of movement,  gesture and touch that reflects the everyday routines, needs and  interests of the child.The adult encourages the understanding of language by communicating in a slower, simpler and clearer way. Since touch is involved a level of trust and confidence must be built for the language to be effective.

The Canaan Barrie signing system is  suitable to be used in the family setup or in well regulated school for blind especially in the instance where the persons involved are both deaf and blind. Efforts to assist those who are impaired by circumstances is not only a show of humanity but also noble and this blog applauds such.For now congratulations are in order to Mrs Mary Lee.

Tips to Make Personalized Gifts !

4 Ways to Make Your Own Personalized Gifts At Minimum Cost:

As with any other activity ,making  your own personalized gifts requires skill ,patience and planning.You may want to consider the following four interesting tips when doing so:

•  make use of your skills and talents, 
• Evaluate or make a practical assessment of  the time available for this activity.
• follow proper time management
• Brainstorm for creative gift ideas.

Giving family and close friends personalized gifts is a great way to make them happy and feel important. Moreover, when you make your own customized gifts, they become even more special. Here are a few helpful tips so you know how to make your own presents for whatever type of occasion the requires a gift:

Make use of your skills and talents:

Consider your talents and skills. If you are skillful in painting, then make a beautiful painting and frame it as your gift to someone special in your heart. If you are talented in composing songs, come up with a special song as your present. If you are very good in cooking and baking, make the favorite pastries and cookies that your recipient will truly enjoy.

Make a practical assessment of your spare time:

Before deciding to make your own personalized gifts, make sure you have fully assessed the availability of your spare time so you can finish everything. If you intend to give goodies for  a particular occasion,perhaps an anniversary especially if it is food calculate how long it will take you to go to the store for the supplies, to bake them, and wrap every package. Otherwise, you might just end up having time only to buy your ingredients only and not enough time to bake anything at all. That is a waste of money.

Follow proper time management:

Proper time management will make it possible for you to finish your entire gift-giving project without inducing stress on you. Ensure that making your own gifts is going to be a pleasant and enjoyable experience for you. When you decide on a certain type of custom-made gifts, make a timetable for every specified task needed to accomplish everything. Follow your schedule, and you will surely achieve your goal.

Brainstorm for creative gift ideas

There are limitless ideas on the types of gifts to make. Coming up with an excellent idea is so easy when you have fully organized your thoughts on what you want to give to someone. It becomes even easier when you discuss the same with others.To guide you, here are a number of suggestions. It is up to you to determine which ones suit your time, money, capability, and, of course, the ones that your receiver will really appreciate.

* Make a photo calendar with your recipient’s photos.

* Make an apron for someone who enjoys cooking and baking. Make it more personal by adding his/her embroidered name on the front pocket.

* Make a poem about your loved one and print it on beautiful stationery.

* Bake your specialty pastries, wrap them with colorful food wrappers and place the creatively in a basket.

* Paint small terracotta pots and fill them with various cute items such as magnets, candles, and the like. You can make it more customized by adding the initials of your receiver on one side.

* Compile various favorite songs of your gift recipient in one CD(you may want to consider if there is any copyright infringement), label it with the receiver’s name. Be sure to include the occasion too.

* Give the recipient a photo in a picture frame you decorated. You can decorate around the frame using beads and cutout letters to form her name.