13 Dec 2010

X Factor - Matt Cardle ain't no poodle!

I watch X Factor every year and to be honest, I've never really had much of an opinion on the contestants as they are all more or less X Factor lemmings with no opinion. They're just really grateful of the opportunity that has been slung their way which I guess is fair enough, but it's a bit boring.

Then all that changed this series with newly crowned winner, Matt Cardle. This lad seems to have balls because I've never seen him dodge a question yet. He seems to try and put a fair spin on it but he still gets his actual opinion across which is rare for the army of 'yes people' that the media breed these days.

It's because of people like him and especially such people as Shaun Ryder et al that make TV much more interesting these days. I'd be terrified if I was a presenter, but for the viewing public, it's always certainly going to be T.V. GOLD!!!

Christmas ain't Christmas without a brass band!

As much as I have mixed views about the Salvation Army, I do love hearing them play in my local town at Christmas. Nothing gets me in the mood for crimbo quicker than a brass band playing a few carols. Makes me well up a little too!

7 Dec 2010

Dear Santa

I desperately want one of these gorgeous Pashley bikes....

...any chance?

6 Dec 2010

Have yourself a very frugal Christmas

As I've mentioned before, I'm saving up or a house so I'm having a frugal Christmas this year. That doesn't mean I'm skimping on thought or quality. It just means things might cost a bit less! So here are some ideas I'll be adopting this year.

  • Bake biscuits and/sweets and give them as gifts.
  • Cut up clothes that you don't want anymore and use them to make something patchwork or cut them into heart or flower shapes of different sizes and make brooches!
  • Make a scrap book of happy memories of your family or friends to give as a really thoughtful gift.
  • Buy a bog standard notebook and write in the nicest and funniest memories you have with that person. They can continue to add their own memories in the future and enjoy the ones you have reminded them of!
  • Any gifts you do buy, should be bought in plenty of time so you don't spend more when you're rushing at the end!

Any other skills you can bring to the party will vastly improve your chances of doing more with your money and your raw materials!

3 Dec 2010

I'm Dreaming Of A White Christmas

On Thursday night my family and I made a pilgramage through the arctic style blizzards to see White Christmas at Sunderland Empire. I had never seen White Christmas (the old school film from 1954) before so I didn't know what the story would be about or anything like that. I do however love all that old hollywood glamour and that was enough for me!



What I did know was who was starring - two fabulous leading fellas actually. One was Tom Chambers who you might know from Holby City or maybe Strictly Come Dancing. The other is Adam Cooper, star of Matthew Bourne's, 'Swan Lake' and he also starred in 'Billy Elliot'. The rest of the cast were unknown to me but obviously very talented indeed. Without ruining the story (and any additional surprises) for those of you who might be seeing the show next week, it was sensational! The costumes, singing, dancing and scenery were all superb. It translated really well onto stage (I know because I watched the film today to compare - geeeek). When we left, art imitated life and the snow was falling down on us all the way home! All in all, a great way to make me start to feel Christmassy! Roll on Christmas!!!

Reeed Reeed Wiiiiiine

I don't care much for any red wines I've ever tasted before but there's only one exception and I tell everyone I can about it. Best of all it's really affordable. To me, a lot of reds taste vinegary and actually end up making me feel sick but my ex's father used to get Mavrodaphne of Patras (I get it from Asda or Tesco) and one day I got some bollocks and gave it a try. It's like port but you can drink more of it. A really fruity, gorgeous yummyness. I don't claim to know anything about wine as you can tell, but I know what I like!



I recently visited a deli that's just opened up nearby and I've converted the owner. I was raving about it so much that she went out that evening and bought some! I might try and get some sort of commission per converts! Under a fiver a bottle...you cannot go wrong!

2 Dec 2010

I DID IT!!!

In my recent post about Julie and Julia I suppose I did a bit of a secret behind the scenes version instead of blogging about the journey and only had my goal achieved today. Maybe I'll be a retrospective version of Julie. What am I talking about I hear you cry? Well I'm about to explain.

Only 4 days into this year I won an amazing competition in association with Heat Radio (great radio station which plays current hits and really great 90's tunes.) Sadly my digital radio is broken and I can no longer listen to it but thats another story...So, this prize was a luxury trip to London - trains, transfers, a stay at The May Fair Hotel, a posh meal at Cocoon and lots of other lovely extras. I couldn't believe it!

Lets go back over for a minute and add an important sprinkle of history to this tale. Since I was little I've dabbled with competitions and been casually successful. So it was with this background and a bit of a buzz off the recent mega-win I set myself a challenge. Could I win at least one thing per month for the whole of 2010? Well today I managed it ladies and jellyspoons! The challenge clincher was a win on Mecca Bingo Online. The princely sum of £32.68 to be precise! I'll do a separate post listing these wins another day and point out my favourites. Until then I'll silently celebrate since it's already tomorrow and I don't want to wake everyone up.

Night xxx