St. Swithin's Day

St. Swithin's Day if thou dost rain
For forty days it will remain
St. Swithin's Day if thou be fair
For forty days 'twill rain nae mair

That rhyme has been around since Elizabethan times and each July 15th we still look out and wonder are we in for forty days of rain or sun.
As this year seems likely to be chalked up to rain AGAIN, we are trying to cheer ourselves up here in the Pressieport office by thinking about our Summer Holidays. Luckily for us, we are paid to spend time surfing the web - strictly for research you understand, so we can make sure we're bringing all of you the best choice of fun, handy and original gift ideas!

We've found quite a few gadgets that we're pretty sure you'll want for yourselves and not to give away. Check our out new X-mini speakers - they may be small but they're very LOUD!

And for anyone who really loves to travel, the World power adaptor is a must - one adaptor, 4 connections, 150 countries... you know it makes sense!

Fingers crossed for Sunshine!
B

Finally, a site for dads Dad.ie !

We spend our time surfing the web here at Pressieport (when we're not running around working that is...) and we always love to see new Irish websites appearing. One such site was set up recently by David Caren, a new dad, who noticed that although mummies have loads of sites to go to for fun and advice, daddies had very little. Dad.ie provides information and content online for dads and dads-to-be and has enjoyed a huge rise in traffic over the past months.

The site is slick and funky and another we love about it is that they love our gadgets - or as Dad.ie called them, our Dadgets. Check out Dad.ie and don't forget to pass it on to your dad-friends!

Father's Day Sunday 21st June!

It never fails to amaze me how Dads love their barbecues! I noticed it particularly today when I mentioned barbecueing to the father of a friend of mine. His eyes lit up as he discussed best barbecue tools and his favourite sauces. As far as I knew, this was a man whose closest acquaintance with the kitchen was boiling a kettle, yet here he was telling me all about his secret recipe for a barbecue marinade.

I have also noticed amongst many friends that being a father gives them the opportunity to relive their childhood by playing with the toys they never had. Remote control toys are a particular favourite, which require Dad to spend a lot of time ‘showing’ little Johnny how to fly his helicopter or drive his car.

Don’t forget Father’s Day is 21st June – and just in case you’re looking for some truly original gifts for your Dad check out our great range. Order by 3pm on Thursday 18th June to guarantee delivery on Friday.

June Bank Holiday Office Hours

Woohoo!! Another Bank Holiday!! And, this time, rumour has it that we may have a sunny, warm and dry one... I won't tempt fate, but I have a good feeling about this one :-)

In case you are looking for us, we will be closed on Bank Holiday Monday - that's the 1st of June.

I hope you all have a great weekend and that you get to make it to Bloom - it really is good fun and no, I don't have shares in it!

Best wishes,

Fred and the Pressieport Team

Father's Day is on the 21st June 2009

No sooner have you taken care of mum, than Dad pops up looking for his pressies!! Father's Day is on the 21st of June this year and we've set up a category just to help you with ideas for your online shopping.

Don't forget that we'll gift-wrap your pressies for you if you want and we've got a bunch of humourous cards available too. Don't forget to tell us what message you want on the card.

We will be taking orders until....

18th June @ 3pm for Overnight Delivery Nationwide

Summer is on the way!

One of the things I love the most about the arrival of the summer, apart from the weather and the long evenings, is the start of the gardening season. I'm no expert gardener by any stretch of the imagination and I actually only tend to do gardening on a 'need to' basis, but every time I do finally tackle it, I always feel chilled and relaxed afterwards.

To get into the mood for gardening and to limit the potential damage I might unleash on the garden, I love to watch the highlights of the Chelsea Garden Show. This year it's on from the 19th to the 23rd of May and hosted as always by super-gardener, Alan Titchmarsh.

I was delighted to see that Dublin followed the example a few years back and decided to arrange and host the Bloom in the Park show. This year it will be taking place over the June Bank Holiday weekend and if the weather holds up, the place will be swamped with visitors. If you haven't been to this show before, then go to it. It gets better every year and even if you are not a keen gardener, you'll love the event.

If you decide to get started in the garden for a bit of practice then don't forget to check out our range of gardening gifts here.

Kenyan women hit men with sex ban

I came across this article on the BBC News website. Now this is what I call thinking out of the box. Women in Kenya are rebelling passively against the bickering that has been going on between the members of the coalition.

Read the article by clicking here