MAJORITY OF BRITISH WOMEN MEASURE UP TO JENNIFER

According to a recent report the majority of British women are “pear shaped” and built more like Jennifer Lopez than Kate Winslet. So now we know! Apparently the results of the report will help clothing companies to design better-fitting women’s clothes. With so many clothing companies producing clothes designed more for skinny models than the average sized British woman, let’s hope so!

MICHAEL DOUGLAS REWARDED WITH DEGREE

American actor Michael Douglas, (husband of Welsh actress Catherine Zeta Jones) is to receive a Doctor of Laws degree from St Andrews University for his contribution to British film. Congratulations Michael!

LONDON MARATHON RUNNERS OUT IN FORCE

Thousands of runners from around the globe were out in force today running the London Marathon. About 80% were running for charity with last year’s marathon netting over £19million for various charitable causes. They were joined by British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsey. The men’s race was won by Kenyan Felix Limo, whilst American Deena Kastor became the first American to win the women’s race. A Hampshire couple decided to combine their wedding with the event and were married on Tower Bridge, a halfway point of the race. Well done to all of them!

BRITISH GP'S OVERPAID DUE TO CONTRACTS BLUNDER

Britain’s family doctors (GP’s) are earning up to £250,000 a year due to a government contracts blunder. Is it any wonder the National Health Service is short of money and in deep financial crisis? Tony Blair’s excuse is that paying people well ensures better service. I’m not convinced and neither are many other people in this country. It sounds like a lame excuse for the government getting it badly wrong to me.

HAPPY ST GEORGE'S DAY!

Today in England we celebrate St George’s Day. St George is the patron saint of England, better known for slaying a dragon (evil), as the story goes and rescuing a trapped maiden. St George’s emblem is a red cross on a white background, which is England’s flag and forms part of Britain’s Union Jack flag. The flag has grown in popularity in recent years, particularly with football fans who display it on their cars at the time of the World Cup matches.

RIVAL LOTTERY TO BE LAUNCHED

A new lottery, “Monday – The Charities Lottery” is to be launched in the U.K. next week. Its organisers claims that players are 27 times more likely to scoop a jackpot win than on the current National Lottery Game run by Camelot. Players will also be able to choose which charities they would like to benefit from each game they play. Monday has pledged to donate a bigger percentage of its profits to charitable causes. Many people (like myself!) have never won a penny on the National Lottery since it began and are looking for a fairer system that gives them a better chance of winning. In addition many people have cast doubt over how the National Lottery money is spent and how much of it goes to charitable causes. With a new rival on the scene, Camelot will have to re-assess their position on the lottery front or otherwise they could just be left behind as more and more people desert them to play with Monday instead.

"GREASY SPOON" CAFES DISAPPEARING FROM HIGH STREET

It seems the face of Britain’s high street is changing. Many “greasy spoon” cafes are now facing closure and disappearing from our high streets in favour of continental coffee bar chains. In years gone by, the “greasy spoon” café was a popular British institution serving up fry ups of sausage, bacon, egg and fried bread but its popularity has waned in recent years due to the current healthy eating trends.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA'AM

The Queen celebrated her 80th birthday yesterday, spending the day quietly at Windsor Castle. The country’s most famous grandmother and octogenarian shows no signs of slowing down and has no plans to step down from the throne. Her Majesty enjoyed a walkabout meeting wellwishers in Windsor yesterday afternoon, whilst Prince Charles hosted a quiet family dinner last night, to celebrate his mother’s birthday. The Queen was voted the nation’s most popular royal family member in a recent ITN survey. There is a special 80th birthday special tribute to The Queen on the Monarchy website. You can access it through the link below.

http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page4817.asp

The Queen has received tens of thousands of birthday cards and e-mail messages from wellwishers across Britain and the Commonweath. In a personal expression of gratitude, the Queen said: "I would like to thank the many thousands of people from this country and overseas who have sent me cards and messages on my 80th birthday. I have been very touched by what you have written and would like to express my gratitude to you all for making this day such a special one for me."

Happy Birthday Ma’am. Long may you reign over us!

CHIEF SCIENTIST WARNS OF DRASTIC EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The government’s Chief Scientist, Professor Sir David King, gave a stark warning to the world’s leaders (including Tony Blair), this week, stating that unless measures are taken now to stop global warning, the results for the planet could be catastrophic with rising sea levels, drought and famine threatening millions of lives. The professor warned the world’s leaders that there was no time for complacency and putting their heads in the sand. In order to save the planet for future generations, the world’s leaders need to act and put systems in place to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases now. I believe that climate change and global warning is something that we should all be aware of. Like the world’s leaders, everyone in this country needs to start doing their bit to protect the planet now, otherwise there will be nothing left of this planet for our children and grandchildren and future generations to inherit.

LASSIE TOP DOG FOR BRITONS

Faithful collie dog "Lassie" created by Yorkshire author Eric Knight, has been named Britain's favourite tv pet in a recent survey. I grew up watching Lassie movies and enjoyed every one of them. Well done Lassie!

BRITISH KIDS CASHING IN

British kids are quids in with the average child getting £8.20 in pocket money every week! (For the benefit of any foreign visitors, “Quids In” is a British expression for being in the money!) I don’t remember getting that much! It seems times have changed. Lucky kids! Most British children spend their pocket money on sweets and snacks, probably the reason why we have so many overweight kids in this country.

GORDON BROWN PLANS TO BANISH WORLD POVERTY

Gordon Brown believes that if everybody in this country and other countries of the world give 2p a day, it will banish world poverty. I wonder how much Mr Brown himself will be contributing to this. The phrase, “Charity begins at home”, comes to mind. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sorry for the people in the Third World but the way things are in this country, Gordon Brown would be well advised to spend some money sorting out matters closer to home, before he starts anywhere else.

HAPPY EASTER TO ALL MY READERS!

It's the big Easter weekend again over here in England and yet again Easter eggs appeared on sale in the shops here in February! I'm sure it gets earlier every year as Easter, (like every other holiday), gets more and more commercialised.

A couple of foreign visitors asked if I could explain about the origins of Easter. Well for them and anybody else interested, here goes.

The pagan origins of Easter are thought to derive from Eostre (or Oestre as it’s sometimes spelt), a fertility godess. As the egg is the symbol of fertility and rebirth, this is where the custom of Easter eggs came from. Easter bunnies too originate from here as rabbits are very fertile creatures. Easter egg rolling is also popular at this time of year. In some areas of England, it still continues today, usually on Easter Monday. This is symbolic in Christian tradition of the stone being rolled away from Christ’s tomb. Spring and Easter is traditionally a time of rebirth.

Even though Easter has become commercialised now, we mustn’t forget it’s true meaning. In Christianity, Maundy Thursday recalls the Last Supper, the agony in the garden and Jesus’s arrest. For centuries, people in authority have washed the feet of their followers on this day. In England, the Queen traditionally presents “Maundy” money to pensioners (nominated by clergy of various denominations), for their service to the church. Good Friday remembers Jesus’s death on the cross and how he died to save us all. Easter Saturday is the final day of Lent. Easter Sunday celebrates Jesus’s resurrection. Happy Easter Everybody!

BRITAIN NATION OF CHOCOHOLICS!

New figures out this week show that Britons are the biggest chocoholics in Europe munching through an average of 10Kg of chocolate every year! Unfortunately it’s not the healthy dark chocolate that we prefer but its milk chocolate counterpart!

Experiments have suggested that some types of dark chocolate could reduce clotting and the risk of heart attacks. The health benefits come from flavenoids found in dark chocolate and red wine. It seems that our continental neighbours (who love to indulge in both!) have the right idea. There is even talk this week of clinical trials being done, with heart patients being fed dark chocolate to see if it has any health benefits.

Still on the subject of chocolate, that great British institution the Mars bar which has over the years helped millions of Britons to “work, rest and play”, (the catchphrase used to describe it) is to be renamed, "Believe". Apparently the idea behind this is to rally England fans to support the World Cup. So there we go!

IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, PLEASE READ THIS. IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

Following on from my last post re. Ann Marie Roger's Herceptin victory, I received this from an American friend and know it will be of interest to all women visiting here.

Please go to the link below to read all about it.

http://www.healthypages.net/forum/tm.asp?m=85133&mpage=1&

This message should be taken seriously and passed on to as many of your relatives and friends as possible; it could save someone's life.

ANN MARIE ROGERS WINS HERCEPTIN BATTLE

I have been following the story of breast cancer sufferer Ann Marie Rogers. Mum of three Ann, has gone to the Court of Appeal and won her battle to be given the drug Herceptin free of charge after being initially refused the treatment by her local health authority. Herception is one of a new generation of targeted treatments which can attack only cancer cells and is tolerated much better than chemotherapy. The drug is currently only used on patients with advanced breast cancer in this country, but can be used on other patients at the doctors’ “discretion”. Research from America has shown that Herceptin can help patients in the early stages of breast cancer but many health authorities say they will only fund treatment in exceptional cases.

Ann likened the refusal of Herceptin treatment to being given a “death sentence”. Brave Ann has now paved the way for other women suffering from breast cancer to be given the drug as well. I think it’s disgusting in this day and age that people have to fight like this for the right to life, which is what it amounts to really. Getting certain types of treatment in this country is almost like a lottery and dependant on what area of the country you live in and if your health authority can “afford” it. Every individual in this country, man, woman and child, deserves the right to life and no health authority or government can put a price tag on that. They have no right to play God. Singer Kylie Minogue, herself a breast cancer sufferer, has also backed the campaign for all women to be given Herceptin.

After the court ruling Ann Marie said that she felt like she had “won the lottery”. "I feel like I've taken on the world and beaten it, not just for me but for everyone else.” What a brave lady! Everyone in this country wishes her well!

WINNIE THE POOH HONOURED WITH STAR

One of the nation’s favourite bears, Winnie the Pooh is celebrating this week after being given his own Walk of Fame star. Pooh bear created by British writer A.A. Milne, was presented with the star to mark his 80th anniversary. Like most British children I grew up reading A.A. Milne's classic tales of Winnie the Pooh and his friends, Eeyore, Piglet and Christopher Robin (amongst others!). Well done to him!

MRSA - GOOD NEWS FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS

It has been discovered that pyjamas made from a fabric containing small threads of silver could stop the spread of hospital superbug MRSA. Silver has traditionally been used for centuries to fight germs and infection. The pyjamas are going on trial at a university hospital in London. If successful, they will become standard issue for all patients being admitted to hospital.

Meanwhile, researchers are claiming they have found a vaccine against MRSA. They are working with a manufacturer to develop an injectable version which would be given to hospital staff and patients. MRSA kills up to 800 people a year in the U.K. and is resistant to most antibiotics, so this is good news for all of us.

KELLY BROOK - IDEAL BRITISH WOMAN

According to a recent reader survey by Grazia magazine, British model and actress Kelly Brook has the figure and body that most British women would like to have. Kelly herself was surprised, claiming that like most women there were parts of her body she wasn't happy with. Kelly also admitted to having cellulite on the backs of her legs, which she managed to hide with good lighting. What most women forget is although people like Kelly are famous and in the public eye, they are still human, with the same faults and failings as the rest of us!

CHARLES & CAMILLA CELEBRATE 1ST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

Prince Charles and new wife Camilla (or the Duchess of Cornwall as she’s now known), celebrated their first wedding anniversary this week. Photographer Mario Testino, famous for his glamorous photographs of Charles’ former wife Diana, (Princess of Wales), took some official photos of the Royal couple to mark the occasion. The Royal couple are spending their anniversary on the Balmoral estate, where they spent their honeymoon.

It seems that the public are finally starting to warm to Camilla but whether they will accept her as Queen is another matter. It is thought that if ever Charles does become King, she will instead take the title, "Princess Consort". Diana is a hard act to follow. She was the people's Princess, something Camilla will never be.

Prince Harry admitted in a recent interview that himself and his brother Prince William, "love Camilla to bits" and admire the way she's made their father so happy. It seems the two Princes like some members of the public have very short memories and forget Diana's immortal words, "There are three people in this marriage". There is a price to pay for most things in this life and in this case Diana was the unfortunate one who paid the price for Charles and Camilla's happiness.