All over for another year...

Well it's come and gone in a blink of an eye, and very soon another year will be over. Every one seems to go quicker than the last.

Christmas this year was distinctly average as Simon Cowell would say! Usually we all go round Mum's for the day but as Tina and Dave were having lunch guests round their's this time, the day was rearranged. We still gathered at Mum's but earlier than usual (about mid morning) so that everyone could give Dave Tina and the kids their presents before they left. I also had pre-arranged a treasure hunt of the two girls. John and I then went home and we were gonna cook the Christmas dinner this year. Mum and Dad would join us later, together with John's brother Chris, his wife Sandy and their two young children. More presents were exchanged. Unfortunately, the children were quite unsettled and Chris and Sandy were busy most the time attending to them in turn. In fact, I've never seen Chris quite so tired and stressed, so much so that he hardly touched his dinner, which is very unusual! Jennifer is just 3 months old and screams through the night; Joey is 15 months and is into everything! He had the peanuts all over the floor at one point and also the hula hoops and has to touch everything. It's not his fault, he's just at that age where he's exploring and learning.

John bought a Nintendo Wii for Christmas for everyone to have fun with and it is really good. If you've never seen it advertised, it's a new computer game that involves you holding the handset (called the Wii) and having to do the exact actions as if you were doing that particular sport. It includes ten pin bowling, golf, baseball, boxing and tennis. Usually I hate computer games but this is so different; at least it gets you out of your seat and moving around, the boxing is particularly strenuous. A good buy I'd say! "Johnny Moneybags" also bought Buzz on Playstation 2 and we had the Who Wants to be a Millionaire game.

Boxing Day is usually at ours but this year it was at my Mum and Dad's. Unfortunately my brother had to work so he was missing. Ebony is always at her Dad's on Boxing Day so it was just the seven of us. Of course, after a lovely lunch the Wii came out again, and we also tried out the interactive dvds such as Family Fortunes, British Hit Singles and the Eamonn Holmes Spell game.

John was back at work on Wednesday. I had nothing planned except to visit Nan in the afternoon with Mum and Dad. We'd already visited her Christmas Eve to deliver her presents because she was going round my Auntie's for Christmas Day, so this was just a normal social call! She's doing really well lately except for her vertigo which she has to take daily tablets for. Nan's had a new carpet laid already so she well and truly settled in.

On Thursday afternoon, Mum and I took Kasey and Ebony to see The Wizard of Oz at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff (see pic above). At 10 years old, Ebony is a tad old for pantomimes and we tried to convince her that this was definitely not a pantomime. You can imagine how much Mum and me cringed when they started the old "It's behind you" and "Oh yes it is". However, it wasn't like that all the way through; they'd simply added the panto banter to interact with the smaller kids. I've got to say, that for a local theatre performance, it was really quite good. The scenery and costumes were extremely colourful, the acting was pretty good, some of the singing was average but it didn't seem to matter that much. I enjoyed myself anyway, joining in with the songs and clapping along. The only cons were that it was like a sauna in there and we were seated in the rear circle which was literally right at the back and as high as the ceiling.

Later that evening, John's brother Paul and his two girls Ellis and Yasmin came to visit us and stay overnight. Paul is no longer married to Hazel (it was the divorce from hell) and he now lives with girlfriend Nicola and her two children in Derbyshire (not far from Sheffield). Paul's two live with Hazel in Hook, Hampshire, so there's a lot of mileage between them. Another opportunity to get the Nintendo Wii out!! Once again, it was a hit! Mid-morning today, they left to pay visits to the rest of the family.

Today, we had John and Maria (our friends who live opposite us) over to ours from 4pm onwards for Christmas dinner and games. Yes, you can guess it- everyone wants to Wii! Bowling was very popular tonight and we're becoming pretty darn good at it. It wasn't a late night as John has to be at work at 4am to meet a delivery. Good news though - he should be home by 6am and then has a week off.

New Year's Eve, we've invited the family to ours. Poor Dave has to go to work the next day so he won't be able to see in 2007. But hey, it's not important - it's not like we usually make a celebration out of it. We'll just have a buffet tea and probably more Wii-ing!!!

So, a premature Happy New Year to everyone - hope 2007 is a good'n!

Christmas is definitely for kids!

Leading up to Christmas this year, I've felt absolutely no excitement at all. The magic seems to have vanished - still it's taken until age 38 to reach this conclusion, which is not bad...maybe it would be different if I had kids of my own.




I always said I'd never go away for Christmas but I don't think it'd be such a bad thing after all. Not that I have any awful relatives to escape from, it's
just that it's always the same thing every year and I'm bored with it. Gawd, I sound like a real bar humbug don't I? Please don't let me turn into my Dad!

I remember one Christmas Eve night when I was a child (I have no idea what age), but I needed to go to the loo and I was so scared of getting up in case I bumped into Santa! That memory is so vivid, yet I can't ever recall whether I did actually pluck up the courage or whether I managed to get back to sleep!




I've posted a few old photos of Christmas when I was young. Oh such good times they were! Every year Mum and Dad made it so great for us kids. A sack full of presents was always waiting for us at the ends of our beds - of course I thought Santa had left them at the time. We'd always drag the sack into the living room of the flat coz the bedroom we were in was freezing cold (we had no heating back then). After opening a sack full, we'd have breakfast and then later in the morning, we'd all open the presents under the tree. Christmas lunch was at my Nan and Grandad's who lived in the same road (my Mum's parents). In the afternoon, we went over to my other Nan and Grandad's in Rochford, where my Auntie, Uncle and three cousins would also gather. My Grandad was always the creative type, which was handed down to my Dad and also to me and he would always make something for us. In the pic, you will see a wishing well, but other years he also made a dalek, a train engine and a massive cracker, in which there were hidden presents.

When I was a liitle older, when my creative streak had been securely embedded in me, I took charge as the one who thought up ideas of how to entertain the adults. Afternoons then had switched to my Auntie Annette's so there were us five kids and a giant dressing up box. Of course, a lot of the time I had to actually make the stuff beforehand, such as hats, wigs and beards. The things we used to come up with:

* Dressing up as contestants on a Question of Sport including Willie Carson, John McEnroe, Giant Haystacks, Emlyn Hughes and Alex Higgins (see pic)
* Dancing and singing along to the Toy Dolls "Nellie the Elephant" (see pic)
* The Madness Mob - singing and dancing along to Madness
* Dressing up as Boy George and Marilyn - remember Marilyn?! (see pic)
* Performing our version of Cinderella. Me and Debbie as the Ugly sisters, Lee as the Queer fairy, David as the gay prince and Nicola as Cinders. How I knew so much as homosexuality
at such an early age, God only knows! (see pic)
* Creating my own Blankety Blank game

These years were just the best; they were so much fun and ones we'll never have again. Quite sad really.

Strictly fab entertainment!

I've been an avid viewer of Strictly Come Dancing since the last series, and it just gets better and better. The standard of the celeb's dancing is amazing considering they only started training four months ago. The show has surely made ballroom and latin dancing cool and it does actually make you wanna do it yourself. I, however, would be a

huge challenge, seeing as I have five left feet!

Louise Lytton who played Ruby in Eastenders, together with her partner Vincent Simone were my favourites as I found their routines the most entertaining. However, she was knocked out in the quarter final, which left Emma Bunton and Darren Bennett, Mark Ramprakash and Karen Hardy and Matt Dawson and Lilia Kopylova. Mark then became my fave. Despite Emma being probably the most consistent dancer throughout the competetion, she went out in the semi final and so the two sportsman fought out the final. Matt was worthy but Mark was a clear winner for me after a repeat of their fantastic salsa and their free dance containing some phenominal lifts which professionals would take years to perfect. My prediction was correct and someone should've been standing by to sedate Karen Hardy who was (as usual) totally over-excitable!

I've gotta say the BBC have found a winner in this show and I'm sure it'll be on our screens for years to come.

Hmmmmmph!

In case you're wondering, that funny word above is a long aggitated sigh, I just didn't quite know how to spell it!

I was due to drop off my cat Poppy into the vets tomorrow to have a thyroidectomy the day after - she has to go on a drip 24 hours beforehand because of a slight kidney problem. Anyway, I got home this evening only to find out that the vet had called earlier and spoke to John. As Andrea, the particular vet who specialises in these type of operations, is on holiday, they wanted to postpone it until 3rd January.

It's so annoying when that happens coz you build yourself up to something only to be dashed at the last minute. Naturally I was getting a bit nervous and it's always horrible putting your pet through all that. So now I have to wait until after the New Year. I am now on leave from work so that's why I booked the op for this week - fortunately on 3rd January I have a half day and John is off all week, so at least there'll be no problem in that respect.

So lucky Poppy-Lou - you have a reprieve (for now).

Leona has the X Factor!

Congratulations to Leona, winner of the X Factor tonight. Thoroughly deserved in my eyes - she's been consistently good and her vocals are flawless. I was in tears last week when she sang 'Over the Rainbow' and in total awe when she appeared to make light work of two Whitney Houston classics, Nielson's 'Without You' and Eric Carmen's 'All By Myself'.

I very much hope that Leona gets the album she deserves - not just another crappy one full of cover versions. She's far better than that, but it is a worry considering the past two winners. No doubt the single will be Christmas No.1 but it's what happens after that that counts.

I'd also like to say how gracious and gentlemanly Ray was in defeat, a true pro - I hope he gets his reward for being such a charming and entertaining contestant.

Shame it's all over for another year - as always it's been pure entertainment from the auditions right up to the end. After Strictly Come Dancing finishes next week, there'll be nothing much to watch on a Saturday night. :-(


One of my fave performances - I will always love you

Huge grrrrrrrrrrrrrs to Madge

Just look how cute this little guy is.


As a supporter of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), I cannot find a word strong enough to describe how I feel about Madonna right now. Here are some excerpts from various news articles:

Madonna has been criticised by an animal rights group for wearing a real chinchilla fur coat as she left Cecconi's restaurant in London with her husband, Guy Ritchie. She wore the coat, said to be worth 35,000 pounds, and made from the fur of 40 chinchillas.

PETA accused the singer of ignoring cruelty of animals and
urged her to watch videos of animals being farmed for their pelts.

A spokesman for Madonna - who is set to design a range of clothing for high street chain H&M - said he was unable to comment.

Poorva Joshipura, director of Peta Europe, said: "We encourage anyone who wears fur to watch videos of these animals being electrocuted, caught in traps and skinned alive.

"Thousands of people, including Paris Hilton, have said that the videos changed their minds about wearing fur.

"Chinchillas are shy, intelligent animals who can live for up to 15 years in the wild. Yet on fur farms, these animals are violently killed while fully conscious."

Madonna is one of the most famous women on the planet and money is no object. I think these people just don't know what to spend their money on, but why oh why must they parade around in the fur of dead animals for the sake of their vanity? After all, aren't there enough man-made fibres and other materials available?!!

This is not the first time she's been spotted wearing fur. Previously she has worn a £1,000 fox fur hat by Philip Treacy and an astrakhan coat.

The disturbing fact is that fashion experts are claiming that fur is back after years of unpopularity. Sales of fur clothing have risen by 30% in two years and are now worth £500m a year in the UK. Fake imports have dropped by a third.

Naturally Madonna is not the only person to wear fur; it's just that she is the most high profile. Model Kate Moss has also upset protesters by wearing animal hides and appearing in advertising campaigns for Burberry, which uses real fur in its collections.

So, I shall be boycotting all things "Madonna" until she changes her ways. I've already switched stations when one of her songs came on the radio.

Woohoo! Spurs hit 5

Well thank God it was sunny and dry this time. John and I met up with Debs, Mick and Craig outside the ground, had a chat and a few laughs. Before going into the stadium I dragged John into the Spurs shop (the last chance before Christmas - wink wink) and picked a couple things for my stocking!

The game got off to its usual start with Spurs looking hung over, lazy and not particularly bothered! Our opponents Charlton are 2nd bottom of the league and it was really frustrating watching them make a meal of it all. However, the fans today were in full song and the place was electric!

It took until the half hour before the ball was stroked into the path of Berbatov inside the box for the first goal. It was just a couple of minutes later when a headed clearance from a Lennon cross fell in front of Tainio who drilled it home after a deflection off a Charlton defender. Spurs had well and truly woken up by this time and it was looking good, however after a bit of a 'mess' in the penalty area, Charlton got a one back from an own goal, courtesy of Michael Dawson on 41 minutes.

The second half started exactly like the first although they bucked their ideas up a bit quicker. A Tainio cross into the danger zone was headed down by Berbatov and Steed Malbranque controlled with his chest before steering left-footed past Carson and into the net. Steed headed off into the crowd to celebrate his first goal for the club and was promptly booked. Stupid rule if you ask me - get rid of it.

Defoe got in on the act on 62 minutes after Lennon won the ball in the middle of the pitch and set the striker on his way goalwards. Charging towards the right corner of the penalty area, he let fly and Carson was well beaten high inside his left-hand upright. On 65 minutes it really was party time! Berbatov went on the charge to the left of the area, beating two defenders on his way to slotting past Carson from a tight angle.

Berbatov was substituted on 75 minutes to a huge ovation - after a rocky start to the season, he is at last beginning to look worth his £11m transfer fee. Aaron Lennon also had a great game, his best for a while - he never stopped chasing and hassling the whole game, and had a direct hand in 3 of our goals.

Following the huge disappointment of last week's 3-0 defeat at Arsenal (don't get me started on referees!) this week has been great for the club: 3 points against Boro on Tuesday and 3 points today. Can't get any better than that and the Spurs soar up to 8th in the table.

Ooh I love lists! Sorry Al, nicked another one!

Male/Female?	Female
How old are you?	38
How tall?	5'0"
Which languages do you speak?	only English (another lazy Brit) or does Gibberish count?!
How often do you travel abroad?	At least once a year
Have you ever dated a different nationality?	Not exactly "dated" no
Which foreign accent turns your head in your own country?	American/Aussie although I think French is the most sexy
What makes you angry?	so many things! but particularly cruelty to children & animals
What makes you laugh?	larking around & being silly!
When did you last laugh so much you cried?	there probably is an occasion more recent but the most vivid recollection is when I had work friends round for the evening a few years ago & one friend told this true story of something that happened at her job & the way in which she described it, just made me pee my pants - oh & yeah I was crying too!
What sort of movies do you loathe/love watching?	Loathe martial arts, love RomComs, thrillers and true stories
What sort of music do you love/hate listening to?	Loathe rap & hiphop, love most other genres from all decades but Daniel Bedingfield is my fave
Do you have any animals?	yes 4 cats
Would you like to own an animal?	I'd love loads more animals if I owned a large rural property with loads of land
What are your obvious skills/talents?	Remembering facts & organisation
What skill do you wish you possessed?	I wish I was more confident & not get worked up about the silliest things
Have you ever made your own music?	Sort of! I once improvised the wedding march on my keyboard at my Uncle's pretend wedding rerun when he came over from Oz. It was a jazzed up groovy version!
Has anyone ever confirmed you have a talent? What?	Not really
If you had one day left to live, what would you do?	panic!
If you had a five minute warning that the world would end what would you do?	Not a lot you CAN do!
Have you ever had a one night stand?	No
On your wedding day were you 100% sure you were doing the right thing?	Not married
What is your favourite food?	Indian
And the food you most dislike?	eggs
Who do you consider to be the most attractive male celebrity you have ever seen (past or present)	Daniel Bedingfield / Johnny Depp
And female celebrity?	Charlize Theron / Natalie Imbruglia
If you could change something about your body, what would it be?	get perfect eyesight, be taller & get a new head (preferrably one that doesn't get headaches!)
Have you ever had a serious road accident?	No
If you could be a recording artist for a week what song would you record and why?	I have no idea! I'd need to be able to sing in key first, right?!!

King of the jungle

Well done to Matt Willis, formerly a member of the band Busted for winning "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here". Gotta say he was the most unlikely out of the final four.

It was a shock seeing David Gest leave yesterday and also Jason being in third place - I had them as the sure-shot final two. Goes to prove how you can't judge someone from a first impression - I didn't think I'd like Matt much and had him down as one of the first to be voted out. However, he turned out to have a great personality and a sweet nature. I had no preconceptions of David because I don't read newspapers or gossip mags; I only knew him as Liza Minelli's ex. He was the star of the show for me - the stories he came out with: the albino hotel, the charity to help Chinese girls with herpes, his one-legged parents, and his maid Vaginica Seaman, amongst many others. The highlights for me were David washing the dishes with shampoo and moisturiser and Myleene trying to explain to him that he can't drink the washing-up liquid, also Dean Gaffney's first trial at the jungle spa. I think the votes in the final swung Matt's way after he ate the grossest things I've ever seen (from behind a cushion)! Every year they seem to get worse but surely there can't be anything more vile than a kangaroo anus and a crocodile penis! Ugh!

I wouldn't have lasted a day in there. I almost faint if I miss a meal! I can't 'do' cockroaches or spiders, I couldn't have jumped out of a plane or bungeed, slept in a hammock and most definitely could never swallow any of that so called bush tucker. I not one for roughing it - if I'm hungry, tired and unclean, I'm basically miserable. So from my point of view, the celebs were amazing.

Anyway, well done to ITV, those cheeky chappies Ant & Dec, and the celebs for some fab entertainment over the past 19 days.