JustPickOneUK

Trying to buy white goods shouldn't be difficult when you are ordering online in the 21st Century. It is April 2026 and I am trying to buy a washing machine and a dishwasher. One gave up the ghost a while ago and the other is now roaring at me like an untamed dragon that I just poked in the eye with a pencil.  So, off to a major retailer I go. I find items which fit my needs and I have the audacity of asking for an additional service. I would like them to take the old ones away for a fee. Shouldn't be too hard. Both items are confirmed in stock, both deliverable to my regular south coast mainland address and I shall be paying more money for said service. All good, yes? NO. I go to the basket and now magically I cannot have one or both of the items delivered. OK.....but which one and why not now? Lets ask the chat bot........nope it has no idea because this is well beyond its capability. Let's ask a person. Same information given to the person and I get a response which is t...

 I had the pleasure of attending an event at Bournemouth University yesterday which was celebrating 100 years since John Logie Baird demonstrating his first television and considering what is in store for the next 100 years. The speakers were all very eloquent and gave different perspectives based on their experience with leading production companies, advertising and even the BBC.  Discussions varied from the introduction of the TV itself, how the position TV holds in society has risen and changed, how YouTube, TikTok and others have affected viewing styles and figures and that in the end TV is here to stay (at least for now). Here is the link to the full conversation  https://www.youtube.com/live/3Fbxy7gk-gs?si=GMLHxKmCEQMSEtfO   After the event we had the chance to speak to the speakers but I wanted to make sure the students got the chance first and so I took a look at the cameras they have at their disposal to train on. I was considering the expertise the students...

I will say from the off that this post is a series of first world problems and I am very well aware that I am privileged to have these as small issues, but they felt bigger at the time and this is my blog about my feelings so with that out of the way here we go.  I love travelling and have been trying to build my own YouTube channel based around it. www.youtube.com/@justpickoneuk if you weren't aware. Travelling with my family is wonderful, I love sharing the world especially with my son, we have been on a number of holidays and days out now and he loves travelling too. But being able to travel alone is a wonderful privilege.   My most recent adventure was for 10 days and I was able to go on a 2 night cruise from Southampton to Hamburg, then a sleeper train to Stockholm, then after two flights to the mid west of the USA where I was sight seeing and chasing tornados. It was an incredible adventure and such an amazing experience.  Travelling solo allows me to stop and...

 Sometimes I feel like I am not achieving anything and it gets me down. I feel anxieties over not being enough or not achieving enough. But in those moments I have to remember where I have come from.  During lockdown in 2020, I made the decision to learn how to sew. I didn't know how to sew apart from vague memories from senior school and the hard lesson in looking after pins when my teacher refused to let us out for break because we had misplaced one!  I felt like learning the skill would come in handy and so I bought a sewing machine for £50 from a local lady and set to work. Well I did a deep dive into YouTube to find simple things that I could make with little knowledge or skill. It was difficult at first because just learning your way round a sewing machine can prove tricky, but I got the hang of it and ended up going from making a tiny pin cushion pillow and getting to making a 2 legged velvet dinosaur for my son.  Each thing I made turned into the next best th...

 I was making a video which I hope will be sorted and published soon, but I was feeling stuck. I couldn't edit it properly and I didn't know what to do.  At the time of recording I had decided to try something different with a new camera angle and set up and was happy during the recordings etc but when it came to to edit I had no clear direction with it. I felt some of the script was not what I was thinking about and it just felt all round wrong. I couldn't put my finger on why though. What was wrong? If nothing then why am I stuck?  I was just sitting messing about with the edit and not getting anywhere so I decided to park the project. For a while. I wanted to get something uploaded though and the next day an idea popped into my head from nowhere! I have used some of my pre-edited footage of the White Party on MSC Cruises. It is a standard sort of thing that occurs on many if not all of the ships in the fleet and I just popped some YouTube approved music underneath it a...

 I was on board a train going to London when tragedy struck. The guard put out the announcement that noone wants to hear. "If there is anyone with advanced medical training on board. I mean a doctor or a nurse please come to carriage 7 immediately". The tone of voice shows all passengers on board that this is no ordinary call. This is an emergency. This guard needs help and needs it now.  I do not have any training beyond basic parent level  first aid and so it was a waiting game for me. I sat in a full train carriage looking nervously down out of the window waiting to see anything that could give us news of what was occurring. Humans as a species are quite morbid and have a need to know what is going on. Staff members running to gather equipment and make decisions on what was best to do while they themselves were waiting for news and then the paramedics appear running down the platform.  I found out later on that there was nothing to be done. A suspected heart attac...

 As the title says the internet is indeed a very weird place. Why we take pleasure from seeing people hurting themselves, cats leaping from being scared and doing dance routines by famous singers.  Having been a YouTuber for less than a year, I definitely don't understand it yet and I absolutely do not understand Instagram or the ways of tiktok. I attended an Eagle Labs event on social media and how to optimise their use for your business.  Both of the experts there were confident in their opinions on how to optimise your strategy for numerous different platforms. However, both of them also agreed that nothing they said was any guarantee of success and they could easily identify someone who was doing everything they can to not follow the rule book and being successful anyway.  I decided to test this and filmed a small snail who had got into the house and was slithering up the curtain. I filmed him, popped a silly piece of music and a sparkly background on the video a...

When going tenting like we do, one of our favourite pastimes is Campsite TV. This doesn't mean getting out an aerial and looking for some signal while shouting "left, a bit right a bit!". I mean the comings and goings of other people on the campsite. The caravans, campervans, the tents, the site staff all going about their business without a care in the world. In my view, the best campsite TV occurs when you've been pitched for a couple of days and know the lay of the land so you can sit and judge others, (only in a kindly fashion), on where they believe the best spot is for them. It is particularly funny if the wind is blowing a bit hard or if this is a new or borrowed tent and they have no idea how to pitch it. Then you get to watch them pitching their tent / place the caravan and see how it was all jammed into their cars, wonder at the amount or lack of things other people have. Lust over their tables, chairs, awnings and flags or tell them under your breath that t...

 Every expert under the sun will recommend reading to your child at bedtime. The stories they can listen to are calming, it is a bonding experience and you can share knowledge. They will be exposed to language that doesn't usually come up in daily conversation and how often do you speak in rhyming couplets during the day?  Reading to your child does not have to cost the earth. There are so many places you can get books from. Most local supermarkets have a charity book stall, charity shops, book shops and online. But you can always use your local library for free.  Teaching English as a language to read is infuriating and confusing as there are so many oddities within it. Break becomes Breakfast. Why did the EA change with each word? Thought, Though, Through, Cough. 4 letters, 4 different sounds! Never mind the difference with north / south divide. Bath or Bath? I'll leave that up to you.  Once your child has the ability, begins school or you teach at home, then pleas...

Here at Just Pick One we often have difficulties making decisions. As per a previous post on the subject, adulting is just a constant stream of decision making and it can be exhausting and difficult to do, especially when the whole look and feel of a new channel and blog are at stake.  I've been wanting to make my blog look and feel right for a while and I have been tweaking things constantly to make it sit right. I still don't think I am there yet and I shall be tweaking again tonight when I have eaten my dinner.  My YouTube channel is no different and I just quickly mocked up something that would do for now. But not I've got quite a few views and I will be making more and more content going forward, I wanted a new logo to make it look more professional and something I can be proud of when I see it.  I have very limited artistic skills and less when it comes to designing something like this on a computer which only just has paint.net on it. I was fiddling around online a...

 Following on from my previous blog I have come to a decision about my work.  Being a teaching assistant is a very rewarding experience. You get to be part of many young children's lives. You get to influence them, teach them, be another adult in their life they can trust and be confident with. You get to laugh with them, play with them in many ways in a different way than their families. You do get school holidays off which is excellent and so convenient when you have children of your own.  However, there are also downsides. On a basic level the amount of work involved and emotional investment does not get paid for properly in money. The average wage is between £18K and £23K according to gov.uk but I have never seen that much. I receive just over £16k. I cannot take annual leave during school time and so my family are fully restricted to holidays in term time. I know children should not be taken out of school, but it is not even an option for us with myself and my son lo...

 My friend and I were sitting down after work for a coffee and a natter and we both had the same look on our faces. We are both tired. Not just tired but emotionally, physically and mentally tired. We had nothing left to give. Well nothing to give until one of her kids needed something and then suddenly more energy was required to sort out that thing.  Adulting is one of those things that your parents never tell you about. At least not properly. I suppose a child's brain is more filled with its own tunnel visioned ideas about what will happen in the next 10 minutes and cannot comprehend the next 10 years, let alone the possible next 100! But the bit that got my friend and I was the reality that it is relentless. When something is relentless it feels like it is going to get you in the end regardless of how much effort you do or do not put in. Much like the Sea. You can enjoy it but also feel terrified in equal measure. It is not all bad. You can earn money, spend it as you like...

 Things are getting organised for the new school year already. May and June are the months when schools look towards the new academic year and decide which staff members are needed, where the requirements are to meet demand and any additional requirements that may exist with the new cohort of children.  I've been a TA for less than a year and I have been surprised by the role. I've written a post about the different demands on a TA during the working day, check that out. I have walked more than usual which is excellent. I have felt every emotion there is on the spectrum between happy and angry. I have been struggling with whether or not to continue as a TA. I love to see children do well and encouraging them to learn is lovely. Seeing them develop and grow in front of your eyes is a special thing.  However, I have come to realise that I do not want to be angry and frustrated with children most of the time. I have one of my own and the tiredness I feel at the end of each d...

Teaching Assistants (TAs) are in important part of the machine that is the modern day education system. Teachers are trained in providing the academic side of the learning and the TA supports the Teacher in many different ways. When I applied for the role I had no idea there would be so much more to it then assisting the teacher in the classroom and helping pupils with their learning. In a primary school like mine the children are aged between 4 and 11. This is a massive age gap when thinking developmentally. 4 year old are still prone to tantrums like toddlers and are not all proficient in using the toilet. 8 year olds are in a middling stage where they feel more grown up, they are developing more as a person with their own feelings and emotions but are still aware of rules and tend to follow them for the most part. 11 year olds feel like they are in charge of the world. Pre-teens are growing quickly, developing emotionally and beginning puberty with all of the hormone, emotional and ...

 I am not a stranger to being overweight. I am fat. There is no two ways about it. I have more fat on me than I should to be healthy. I am not trying to body shame anyone or to suggest that people can't do their own thing. You do you. I am not healthy and in getting there I now have too much fat getting in my way.  I have tried Slimming World which did work for me. I did lose weight, even during my pregnancy I was losing weight. It was about half a pound a week and I was being checked by medical professionals and I had more scans of my child because I was considered to be a high risk pregnancy. I felt safe losing weight while pregnant. I actually wanted to lose weight in order to get pregnant. Its actually the first piece of advice I read when trying. If you are overweight then try to lose some and things may change. When I got my 10% certificate (the award at Slimming World for losing 10% of your starting body weight) I concieved my son. So I can attest to that piece of advic...

Do you have comfort TV? You know the kind of TV that you like to watch on Sunday afternoon to pass time if the weather is shocking or if you are sick. Something to make you feel comfortable and so you can be entertained but your brain has almost no work to do?  One of my colleagues just sent us a WhatsApp message saying she won't be in because she's caught the sickness bug that's going around at the moment. Then another of my team members replied with the best phrase ever. "Find Your Columbo". This is the exact phrase for comfort TV.   For her Columbo the fictional detective TV series from the 1960s and 70s starring Peter Falk is her show. It's easy watching, from a time fairly long since past and everything is explained in the end and so you don't have to work hard to get to the crux of any issues.  For me Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) is one of these. We've watched and re-watched this show so many times. It doesn't take us long to hear the...

If you are like me a walk feels like a bit of a waste of time. I can walk I just don't like to go for a walk. Its boring, where am I going?, am I trying to get there in a certain time frame? So no, I don't want to go or a walk. Geocaching however, sign me up. (Phonetically Jee-Oh-Cashing). Geocaching is a global free activity you can do, even in your local area. Its like a treasure hunt using your phone or a gps device you can look up the locations of hidden in plain sight caches. Each one is put there and recorded by members of the public, so anyone can place a cache. Across the country there are caches at local churches, war memorials and historical places of interest.  They can even be dotted along your local dog walking area in trees, under bushes, clipped or dangled from fences, sign posts and under fallen leaves. They can be made of anything, a clip lock box, a small screw top tube, a bottle, a magnetic bolt, even a key safe. Our most unusual one was a key safe made to ...

 As is the way these days with streaming services, we can re-watch many of our favourite shows of the past. We call these comfort food tv. Something that is easy, simple, safe and is a welcome back to something your brain has no trouble digesting.  A go to comfort food type show for us is Star Trek - The Next Generation (TNG). As the title of this will suggest to any Trekkies out there we have seen this a few times and this is one of the more famous quotes. I am sure that any Trekkie will understand you if you should these four words at them, and instead of shouting "What are you on about?" They will agree with you (unless they are dressed as a Cardassian at the time) give a smile and maybe a high five.  Fandoms can be such a lovely thing to be a part of. Thousands if not millions of people connected through someone's art form. Appreciating the same things and agreeing to like the same stuff. Just a simple quote four words long is enough to join millions of people togethe...

I don't know about you but my brain goes blank sometimes. Usually when I get asked a question. Something like, what's your favourite film? What's your favourite song? My brain shuts off in those moments like I've never seen a film ever before and no music exists in the world.  The worst is at bed time when your child says Tell Me a Story. I am certain he doesn't want to hear one  that goes "There once was a boy, he went to sleep, The End."  But I now have a strategy for telling a story. It doesn't take too long and as long as you follow the 5 steps I'm going to detail below then you can have a story quiet easily without too much brain fade. You can also get your listener to give you some of the information as well which makes for a tailored story for them.   In school the teachers had a training session regarding story telling and it now seems so easy. It may not be new to some of you but it provided clarity for me. There are a variety of different...

 2020 brought the world to a standstill. Changed many lives and brought many people to change many things about their lives. This isn't a doom and gloom post, I just wanted to write about the possibility to use time wisely. I was (and still am) in an incredibly fortunate circumstance and I was able to actually enjoy time to spend as a family, to learn new things and to contemplate the situation around us.  I decided to learn a new skill as we had time, so I turned my hand to sewing. I hadn't used a sewing machine in 20 years but I knew I wanted something practical, useful to life going forward and something creative ans sewing seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  1st problem.....no sewing machine. Right off to google and YouTube to find a good, simple to use model as this is a new field for me. I spent a few hours reading reviews, yes thats right, HOURS, I found Janome as a good brand for beginners then I was off to Facebook marketplace. Within 3 days I found my now Janome ...