Hot whiskey can provide relief from cold and flu

Cold weather brings the sniffles and that usually means stocking up on cold and flu drugs and trying to ride it out. Or course, prevention is often better than cure and stocking up on vitamins can head off the worst the season can throw at you.

However, if you are struck down, there’s a good chance you’ll sink into self-pity and just want to be comfortable. You’ll reach for all the remedies you can, both natural and man-made. A nice comforting hot whiskey is often recommended to soothe your weary self, but it actually does have some medicinal properties too.

Now, it must be stated that at this stage that too much alcohol will end up making you feel much worse. Alcohol is a diuretic, which means it deprives the body of liquids – the very opposite of what you need to do when you have a cold or flu.

The good thing is that you just need one hot whiskey to derive all the benefits of it. Scientists have said that alcohol can dilate the blood vessels, which will in turn allow mucus membranes to fight the infection. The hot water in the ‘hot toddy’ can also help free up your nasal passages which have been blocked by the cold or flu.

If you want to make a hot whiskey, all you need to do is put a small measure of whiskey in a warmed glass (swirling round a bit of hot water in it should do the trick). Top up the glass with more hot water and add lemon and cloves and a bit of honey or sugar to taste.

A hot toddy is also a great accompaniment to a good book which you can find at www.vujar.com.

How to Get Back Into Reading

Reading a great book is one of life’s greatest joys, but nowadays we are accustomed to the instant gratification afforded us by the fast-paced, technology-driven culture of modern life. What with TV, movies, video games and social media, it can be easy to forget the simple pleasure of sitting down with an immersive book.

Reading is better for your mental and physical health than extended screen time, and it is also a fantastic way to exercise your brain and learn new things about the world. If you used to read a lot as a child but have got out of the habit now you’re an adult, don’t worry - all it takes is a little push to get back into it.

Choose a Short Book

Get back into the habit of reading again with a short novel. After an extended period without reading, it can be hard to immediately dive into an 800 page classic. Start small and tackle a book that’s relatively easy and entertaining, and you’ll begin to flex that reading muscle again.

Disconnect From Everything Else

When reading, make sure that’s all that you’re doing. It can be tempting to have your phone nearby or to play music, but this will make it much harder to concentrate, and you won’t enjoy the book to its full potential.

Set Aside Time Every Day

Consciously make time for reading as part of your day. Starting with as little as 5 minutes can make a big difference, and you’ll gradually be able to - and want to - read more and more. You’ll be devouring books for pleasure again in no time.

Rediscover your love of reading with the vast collection of eBooks and audiobooks at www.vujar.com.

The origins of Easter and why it is a movable feast

Sunday April 21 sees the celebration of the Christian festival of Easter. Although chocolate eggs and the Easter Bunny may be the prevalent images we see in stores at this time of year, Easter is a time when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

However, as with many Christian festivals, the origin and timing of Easter owes much to Pagan celebrations. For a start, there is nothing in the Bible which hints at the date or time of year that the resurrection happened. However, it is thought that spring was adopted as the best time of year to celebrate the resurrection as it was then that we see plants and flowers ‘reborn’ after the winter.

Spring has always been characterized by new life and that obviously seemed like the fitting time to mark Jesus rising from the dead.

But why is Easter on a different date every year?

Again, we have to look at Pagan traditions. Easter generally falls in late March or early April, around the time of the vernal equinox, which is the time of year when there is an equal amount of light and darkness.

The fixing of Easter Sunday each year is decided based on when the first full moon occurs following the vernal – or spring – equinox. Easter Sunday is the first Sunday which falls after that first full moon.

The name Easter is thought to have been derived from the name of a pre-Christian goddess in England called Eostre whose feast was celebrated at the start of spring. Scholars recorded that early English Christians would celebrate the resurrection of Jesus in ‘Eostre’ time and the name eventually became Easter.

Find out more about festivals and customs by checking out the books at www.vujar.com.

Ash Wednesday: The day Christians begin Lent

Ash Wednesday marks the official start of the Holy season of Lent for many Christians around the world. It is estimated that there are over 2 billion Christians in the world today, divided into a number of different denominations. The largest Christian denomination is Catholicism, with around 1.25 billion followers while just under 1 billion are part of some form of Protestant denomination.

Most Christian denominations observe Ash Wednesday and Catholics and some other Christian denominations will attend services at which they will have ashes placed on their foreheads, usually in the shape of a cross. It is believed that this practice was established by Pope Gregory I who was pope between 540 and 604 AD.

The ashes used in Ash Wednesday are usually made by burning the palm leaves from the previous year’s Palm Sunday services.

Christians are also urged to either fast on Ash Wednesday or refrain from eating meat and abstaining from certain luxuries.

Ash Wednesday marks the start of the season of Lent, a six-week period which leads up to Easter. During Lent, many Christians may abstain from things such as alcohol, sweet foods or other things they consider luxuries.

Christians are also encouraged to perform alms giving, which means giving money to the poor, and praying regularly during Lent in preparation for Easter.

Due to the fact that Easter is at a different time each year, the date of Ash Wednesday moves too and in 2019 falls on March 6 but in some years can fall as early as the first Wednesday in February.

Learn more about customs around the world with the books from www.vujar.com.

The Most Powerful Exercises To Improve Your Writing

If you’ve got aspirations of being a successful writer, it can be helpful to practice your craft. Even if words tumble out naturally, there are tips you can try to help improve your style and content. Here are a few easy but powerful exercises which will make a huge difference to the quality of your writing.

Omit adverbs

Adverbs are the words in a sentence which modify the verb, typically ending in -ly. Examples include quickly, easily, gently etc. There’s nothing wrong with adverbs in a sentence but they can make your writing lazy. By leaving out adverbs as an experiment, you’ll find more descriptive ways to get your message across and your sentences will be much sharper too.

Cover up your screen

It’s easy to get distracted by the editing when you’re supposed to be writing, and this can seriously hamper the amount you produce. Constantly going back over what you’ve already written doesn’t help anyone but it’s a hard habit to break. To give yourself the freedom to focus on the words which are coming next, try covering up your screen. Turn the brightness right down so you can’t see what you’re typing or you could always type with your eyes closed! You need to do a bit more editing at the end but the difference in your productivity will make it more than worthwhile.

Try starting halfway through

Getting the perfect start can be a real block for some people so scrap that and move along a bit further. Starting halfway through takes away the pressure to create an impactful beginning, and allows you to enter the story when it’s already established. Once you’re up and running and have been able to let the writing develop, you can go back and fill in the missing first section.

Taking a look at other examples of great writing can also help, and taking time out to enjoy a book can be a positive way to move forward. Check out www.vujar.com for some of the best online books that are available at your fingertips, whenever you want.

Authors Who Wrote Books That Both Kids and Adults Love

A love of reading is something many of us have in common, and some of the finest books in the world are those that can be enjoyed by both adults and children alike. Here are two of the world’s best loved authors who wrote books that are suitable for anyone aged nine to ninety.

Roald Dahl

Dahl’s tales contain the perfect balance of humor, pathos and darkness to make them appealing to readers of all ages. His iconic works include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The Twits, George’s Marvellous Medicine, the BFG and James and the Giant Peach. Dahl’s exceptional ability to understand how children think is reflected in his attitude to them as readers: he’s never patronizing, and he doesn’t leave out the gory details. In short, he treats his young readers as people, rather than children, and this means that adults can enjoy the books just as much as kids.

J.K. Rowling

Of course, J.K. Rowling wrote Harry Potter, the biggest selling children’s book of all time - and also one of the best-selling books ever. The publisher even created two different covers for each installment of the seven-part series, to appeal to the two demographics. The story of a young boy finding out he is a wizard at 11, and his adventures at the richly imagined world of Hogwarts School has captivated children and grown-ups for over 20 years, and it’s likely it will still be enjoyed in another 200.

Rediscover your childhood love of reading by visiting www.vujar.com, where you’ll find eBooks, audiobooks and more to satisfy those nostalgic cravings.