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Manchego cheese is made from the milk of sheep pertaining to the Manchega breed and is made in the La Mancha area of Spain. The cheese must age for between 60 days and two years. The cheese has a very distinctive flavour which is well developed but not too powerful and its texture is buttery yet it has a firm and compact consistency. The European Union has granted Manchego (or Queso Mancego) Protected Designation of Origin status.

For a cheese to be classified as Manchego cheese it must satisfy 4 requirements. Firstly, it has to have been produced in La Mancha, the region that is comprised of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca and Toledo. Secondly it must be produced with the whole milk of Manchega breed sheep that are raised in La Mancha. Thirdly, the cheese has to have been aged for a minimum of 60 days and for a maximum of 2 years. Lastly, it must be produced by cylindrical mould pressing of certain measurements. And voila! You have not a r4i gold card but Manchego cheese.

Pilates is a great body conditioning exercise that focuses on building strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination without adding muscle bulk.

Pilates increases circulation and helps to sculpt your body and strengthen your "core" or torso. I have felt my posture improve vastly since starting Pilates, and I don't get aches, pains or injuries anywhere near as often as I did in the past.

I go to a weekly Pilates class, but to help me keep my routine on a more daily basis, I've just bought this 'Let's Pilates' game for my Nintendo DS. It's great for beginners or the more experienced, and

I've downloaded it online onto an R4 card so I can use it anywhere I want, it's not like I have to have a TV and DVD player set up or anything, and some of the exercises are really short so I can just do a quick burst whenever I have time.

Photo: Amazon

It's almost October and whether we like it or now there's a definite chill in the air. Make sure you look after yourself this winter!

Eat foods that will boost your immune system, like unprocessed whole foods. Avoid white breads, rice, potatoes and sugars and any quick cooking methods. Instead eat warming foods and drinks, think steamed, boiled or baked above ice creams and cold foods.

Dress warm. Think layers, a thermal under layer, jumper and a good solid winter women's or mens jackets, longjohns if it's really cold and thick socks and shoes.

And hugely important, if we get lots of frost, snow or ice this year, make sure you wear good quality shoes with solid grip, be careful, walk slow and avoid icy patches! If you do fall or hurt yourself and feeling any lasting discomfort or pain, make sure you see your GP.

Photo: sarniebill1 (Flickr)

My mother won a Caribbean cruise quite a few years ago, and when she came back she's had such an amazing time I loved hearing all about it. Now, I'd love nothing more than to bring her and the rest of my family on a cruise like that, but my god they're expensive.

Too right too, the ships look amazing, the destinations look amazing, of course it's pricey! I guess it's something else I'd like to do if I won the lottery or had a Rowan Dartington investment windfall!

But just look at it, palm tree-lined powder-sand beaches, gorgeous blue waters, I don't think there could possibly be any better beaches in the world! And imagine how warm that water must be. Apparently you can go swimming with stingrays in Grand Cayman - eek! - or race on an America's Cup yacht in the Bahamas.

Might pop out and do the lottery...

Photo: Clive Gutteridge (Flickr)

I don't have kids, and it'll probably be a fair while until I do, but it's something I've been thinking about more and more.

My brother has a couple of little ones, and he was talking to me recently about the life insurance him and his partner had taken out to ensure their family's financial future, but also a little investment fund they've set up for the kids.

They invested some money with a firm, Rowan Dartington, who will invest that money where they see fit, and give them quite a healthy return on their money. So they're going to use that money as a little investment fund for their little ones' future.

I had to really take my hat off to them for being so forward-thinking. It's a tough economical time for everyone at the moment, but they're doing what they can for the future, because who knows how much the cost of living and education will be then.

Photo: cordeauphotos (Flickr)