Writer Unboxed is a fantastic blog for aspiring writers:

"About the craft and business of genre fiction"

There are author interviews included in the blog too.

Emma the TV Vet is a very interesting and informative website by Emma Milne, the TV vet. You may remember her when she was featured on the BBC show, 'Vets In Practice’.

You can ask Emma the vet questions or search the archive for answers to previous questions on her site. There's also a Pet Talk section with a lot of articles on different topics by Emma.

There is also a page for aspiring vets.

Street Sensation is a very useful site that provides a selection of practical maps to help you explore London street-by-street.

There is a handy map of London's West-End to show how small the distances are between the different areas,a map showing 19 London markets, and a map of nine popular London theatres.

The site also provides a search engine to find a street or shop by name.

If you are interested in studying fossils and keen to learn more about fossils, the Discovering Fossils website is essential reading:

Discovering Fossils reviews the best fossil locations and provides detailed resources for raising awareness of this fascinating subject.

The site not only provides detailed information about fossils but also provides a handy guide about how to get started with fossil collecting.

You may register with the site for details about future fossil collecting trips that you may choose to join.

There is also a map showing where to find fossils (England - Wales - Scotland).

Pop Buzz UK is a fun blog about pop culture in the UK:

Pop Buzz UK deals in everything pop culture, all with a british flavour and from a Brit's point of view.

Understanding Evolution is a comprehensive resource for information about evolution:

"Understanding Evolution is a non-commercial, education website, teaching the science and history of evolutionary biology."

All the information is well presented and the site is easy to navigate. It really is a very impressive educational website. Take a look and I'm sure you will agree.

Poem.Hunter.Com is a very useful poetry search engine. The site also offers a Poem of the Day - which I think is a nice feature - or you can select a Random Poem.

Qjump is a handy site to help make more efficient use of your time and help you to save money when you need to travel by train.

Qjump: train times, book tickets, reserve seats for mainland UK trains.

The Wine Anorak is a fun and informative online wine magazine. There is a very useful section if you are new to wine with lots of useful advice and tips about wine. The site also offers a handy food and wine matching feature. The UK wine buyer's guide is another handy feature. There's also lots of wine links and a blog.

Gardens Guide: tours, design, products and history

The site is a valuable resource for anyone interested in gardens, with links to Garden Tours and Garden Holidays, geographical lists of gardens, a Directory of Garden Designers by Region, links to Garden Design Advice and Information, Garden History & Travel Resources, Directory to garden Products, and Garden Property and Real Estate.

Reading Group Choices is a fun and useful website that "...offers interesting, informative, fun, and interactive material of interest to book clubs."

You don't have to be a member of a book club or a reading group, to make use of the site. If you are simply looking for ideas about what book to read next, the site offers interesting and diverse suggestions.

Reading Group Choices also offers lots of advice and tips if you are thinking about starting a book group.

There is also a contest section with opportunities to win free books! You don't have to be a resident of the USA - I just noticed that I can enter the contest too. (Yippee!) The site actually accepts entries from the US, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Count Me In Calendar is an invaluable resource to help you keep track of special days and campaigns:

"Over 1, 000 worldwide not-for-profit & community events profiled - updated daily - click on calendars."

I think the Count Me in Calendar is one of the most useful sites on the web and one that you will refer to again and again. Check it out and I'm sure you will agree.

There is a Count Me In blog too.

The zokutou word meter is a very handy tool for writers.

If you've always wanted to learn how to play chess, I recommend Chess Rules:

This site is dedicated to publishing the official rules of Chess in a graphical format that can be easily understood by the beginning chess player and referred to on occasion by the more experienced player.

Coats Crafts UK "are the largest supplier of needlecraft products in the UK offering a wide range of household brands...and much much more for your crafting pleasure."

The Coats Crafts UK website offers inspiration, and crafts, with lots of fun ideas, and a big selection of free projects for a variety of crafts (knitting, needlecrafts, patchwork & quilting, machine embroidery, sewing, crochet and creative crafts) including how-to's.

wikiHow "is a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest how-to manual."

Crafty Synergy is an interesting blog with "a collection of interviews with inspiring women."

A blog about google maps:

Google Maps Mania

"An unofficial Google Maps blog tracking the websites, mashups and tools being influenced by Google Maps."

One Bag:"The Art and Science of Travelling Light" is a very useful website with a comprehensive list of what to pack, what kind of bag to pack it in, and a list of related travel links.

One Bag has been recognized as an award winning site and it's easy to see why. It really offers everything you need to know about travelling light.

Mslexia is the name of "the essential magazine for women who write" and it's also a website which is very useful for aspiring writers. Consult the site for regular updates about competitions, courses, literature events, etc. The website also offers a very useful writers' kit. There is a lot more on the Mslexia website so be sure and take your time and explore the entire site.

Jan Brett is a popular author/illustrator of children's books. She also has a wonderful website with loads of free activities, coloring pages, and projects that are fun and educational.

Her site really is a wonderful resource for parents and children. I think the pages showing how to draw a hedgehog , how to draw an armadillo, and how to draw a bear, are particularly appealing. The site isn't just for children!

We all have times when things bother us and even if they are minor complaints, it can feel good to get it out in the open and share our grievances. That's what The Weekly Gripe is all about:

The Weekly Gripe is your place on the web to have your say about anything you like. Get those gripes out into the open and tell us what it is that really ticks you off!

It won't solve your problems or deal with your complaints but you might feel better after you've written about it, especially if you get a lot of comments to support your view.