VICTORIA BECKHAM LANDS GUEST SPOT ON IDOL

I’m really enjoying the new series of XFactor. It’s one of my favourite shows. I’m quite surprised that some people don’t like the new format. I personally think it’s a great idea to hold the auditions in front of a large studio audience. I think lessons need to be learnt after what happened with Susan Boyle and it’s more important than ever to get potential Xfactor contestants used to performing in front of a live audience. They need time to build up their confidence and get used to being in the limelight if they are fortune enough to go the distance in the show. Meanwhile across the pond, Victoria Beckham is celebrating after landing a guest judge spot on American Idol, in the wake of Paula Abdul’s departure. Victoria has been trying for some time to raise her profile in the States and appearing on Idol will certainly help to do that. Then again according to news reports this week, Victoria’s performance on the show has been strongly criticized for being “too nice”. Well at least she’s not being criticized for being nasty like a certain Mr Cowell!

EDINBURGH TOP CITY TO SEE BEFORE YOU DIE

Edinburgh has been named the top city that most people would like to see before they die in a recent poll by hotel chain Travelodge. Scotland’s capital city pipped both Liverpool and Bath to the post to win the coveted title. It seems Edinburgh is the place everyone wants to visit. Not surprising really as there is lots to see and do there.
Edinburgh Castle, Holyroodhouse, the Royal Botanic Garden and
the Royal Yacht Britannia (to name but a few!) are all well worth a visit. Edinburgh is an award winning, world class tourist destination. I have visited there on a few occasions myself. As a child, one of my favourite tourist attractions was that of Greyfriars Bobby, a statue erected in memory of the little Skye terrier who guarded his master’s grave until the day he died.

The Edinburgh Festival is well worth a visit too. Some of the country’s best entertainers, musicians and comedians have showcased their talents there over the years. The Edinburgh Tattoo is also a fantastic event and well worth going to see. The writer Robert Louis Stevenson once described Edinburgh as “what Paris ought to be”. It seems the Scottish accent is very popular too. Edinburgh was also voted the city where the locals had the sexiest accent! It’s certainly a great city well worth visiting. To find out more, click on the link shown below:-

Edinburgh - Inspiring Capital

STRICTLY CELEBRITIES REVEALED

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FANS CELEBRATE ABBEY ROAD 40TH ANNIVERSARY

Millions of Beatles fans made a pilgrimage to London’s Abbey Road recently to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the famous album. The celebrations brought traffic to a complete standstill as a Beatles tribute band walked along the zebra crossing made famous by the Fab Four and featured in the photo on the front of their album. Meanwhile fans gathered around the crossing singing Beatles songs. The Beatles definitely put Abbey Road on the map and made it part of musical history. The Fab Four recorded some of their best music in the Abbey Road studio nearby. It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since the Beatles crossed Abbey Road in London’s St John’s Wood, creating one of the most recognisable and iconic album covers of all time in the process. How time flies!

RECESSION HIT BRITS FOLLOWING IN WOMBLES FOOTSTEPS

Most people remember the Wombles of Wimbledon Common. Created by author Elizabeth Beresford, the pointy-nosed furry creatures lived in burrows on Wimbledon Common. They helped the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways. The Wombles became nationally famous in the mid 70’s as a result of their popular tv show and also popular novelty songs which were released about them. I used to love The Wombles. Who can forget Uncle Bulgaria and friends!

It seems that the Wombles are as popular today as they have always been and according to the results of a recent survey over one in ten of the 2,000 people who took part say they most relate to the pointy nosed furry creatures, making good use of things that other people throw away. The recession has certainly made us Brits more resourceful. Many Brits now admit to baking bread, walking and cycling more, cooking meals from scratch and growing their own fruit and vegetables. Apparently Scrooge is the character that most of us relate to most when it comes to looking after our personal finances. However far from becoming a nation of misers, it seems that the current tough economic times have brought out the best in all of us. The majority of Brits believe that the recession has been life changing and completely changed the way they think about money. The top five money saving measures adopted by today’s Brits include ditching their gym memberships in favour of walking and cycling; collecting money off coupons before dining out; shopping more in charity shops; using leftovers to make soups and casseroles rather than throwing them away and switching from bottled to tap water.

Some Brits who were interviewed admitted going to even more extreme measures to save money including saving money on razors by growing a beard (oh dear!) and training the cat to use the loo to save on cat litter! (Well that is taking things a bit far! Ha ha!) Reminds me of Mr Jinx, the clever cat on Meet the Fockers!

NEW POINTS SYSTEM TO GAIN BRITISH PASSPORT

The government is planning to launch a new points based system for foreign immigrants wishing to gain British citizenship. Under the new system immigrants can gain extra points by learning to speak English, becoming active members of political parties or trade unions and doing voluntary work in the community. However points will be deducted for bad behaviour including anti-social behaviour and taking part in anti-war demonstrations, The Australian style points-based system also proposes harder language and history tests for any prospective British citizens, before full citizenship can be awarded. Under the new system it may take foreigners several years before they are able to gain a British passport. Immigration Minister Phil Woolas stated that the new proposals were designed to control immigration and encourage integration. It’s almost like the format for a new tv gameshow, “Who wants to be a British citizen?” Collect enough points and you can gain the ultimate prize – a British passport! Let’s hope the new system works.

REAL LIFE MIDSOMER MURDER

I always enjoy a good murder mystery and one of my favourite shows is Midsomer Murders”. One of my work colleagues jokes that there must be hardly anybody left in that village, so many people have come to a grisley end since the series started! The fictional village of Midsomer must be one of the most dangerous counties in the land! Don’t think I’d like to live there! However now Midsomer (or rather one of the real life villages in Buckinghamshire used to film several episodes of the show) has become the scene of a real life murder investigation after a pensioner’s body was found in a field. Police are now conducting a murder investigation and have stepped up patrols in the area, after reassuring locals that (unlike fictional Midsomer!) incidents of this kind are very rare in the village. Anybody who saw anything suspicious in connection with the death is urged to get in touch with Det Chief Insp Pete Vigurs at Aylesbury police station on 0845 8 505505. Sounds like they need to get Inspector Barnaby on the job!

VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED TO EAT CHOCOLATE!

As a chocoholic, I was very interested to hear about clinical trials being run by a hospital in Norwich and the University of East Anglia. Prospective women volunteers will be required to eat chocolate every day for a year to test its health benefits! Oh well it’s a tough job but somebody has to do it! (Sounds like the ideal job for me!) One group of volunteers will be required to eat two pieces of a special super strength Belgian chocolate every day, whilst another group will be required to eat normal chocolate as a placebo. Sounds good to me and it’s all in the name of medical science! Apparently researchers are trying to find out whether eating chocolate can help to cut the risk of heart disease and need forty women volunteers to help them. Unfortunately there is a catch! Volunteers need to be menopausal, aged under 75 and also have type two diabetes. ?The women will be monitored and given regular health checks whilst consuming the chocolate. It is hoped that the study will help to determine whether the flavonoid compounds in chocolate can help to reduce the risk of heart disease. If successful, the results of the trials could be the first step in helping to improve the lives of those people at increased risk of heart disease. All the more reason for prospective volunteers to come forward! After all it isn’t every day that you get the chance to indulge yourself in the name of science!

SWINE FLU HELPLINE LAUNCHED

A special telephone helpline service for victims of swine flu has just been launched in England this week. Capable of answering a million calls a week, the special phoneline is part of England’s National Pandemic Flu Service.

The helpline service has come under fierce criticism as it isn’t staffed by medical professionals but by call centre staff with no medical training. The idea is that it will take some pressure off the NHS hospitals and GP’s surgeries. The government argue that the helpline is a quick and easy way for patients to get access to Tamiflu and other anti-viral drugs, without a visit to a GP surgery or hospital. However it is all too easy for medical professionals to make a wrong diagnosis so there is a real risk that the helpline staff could wrongly diagnose somebody too. There is always a danger that swine flu symptoms could mask a much more serious condition like meningitis.

Suspected swine flu sufferers will have the option of either visiting the National Pandemic Flu Service and filling in an online questionnaire or phoning the helpline and answering a checklist of questions about their symptoms, over the phone. Any sufferers are advised to enlist the help of a “flu friend”. If they get a positive diagnosis of swine flu, they will be given a special authorisation number so that their flu friend can pick up their Tamiflu or anti-viral medication from a designated collection point. The service sounds good in theory. Only time will tell how well it actually works.

Over 100,000 people are estimated to have contracted swine flu over here in the past week alone, whilst approximately 30 people have died from it. Within a few days of being launched, the website has already been inundated with visitors. New adverts for the service have just been launched as part of a £2.4million advertising campaign to promote it. The adverts detail the symptoms of swine flu which include a fever or a high temperature over 38C or 100.4F. The government is also advising people of the importance of sneezing into a handkerchief or tissue, rather than into the air, “catching the sneeze and binning it” and also the importance of hand hygiene and washing hands regularly. Many companies (including the company where I work) have invested in special hand gel which kills any germs associated with the virus. In the case of most illnesses, including swine flu, prevention is definitely better than cure.

The website address for the National Pandemic Flu Service for England is www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu and the phone number is 0800 1513 100.

NAOMI'S BACK

Hello Everybody

I'm back blogging again after my break. I was only away for 4 days but we crammed so much in during that time. My Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip. We spent the first day in Oxford. It's a lovely city. We saw Oxford Castle and also Christ Church College. We also went for a walk down to the river and saw all the punts on the river. It was very enjoyable and a nice way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Day Two saw us in Windsor. To get the best views of the city we took a ride on the little visitor train that takes visitors past all the best tourist attractions. Another good way to see the sights of this beautiful city is by taking an open top bus tour. However as it was raining heavily when we arrived, we decided to take shelter on the little train! Our trip to Windsor Castle was definitely the highlight of the day. I also had a ride on the Windsor Wheel, a mini version of the London Eye. It was fun and you get such great views over the city, whatever the weather. We ended the afternoon with a scenic French Brothers' cruise on the Thames, complete with commentary, passing singer Natalie Imbruglia's house and also Royal Windsor Racecouse, a fitting end to an interesting day.

We spend Day Three in Bath. We went to the Jane Austen Centre, which is well worth a visit, if you are ever in the area. We also visited Bath Abbey and the world famous Roman baths. It was also nice to admire the beautiful houses in The Circus, a curved millionaire's row of houses, situated in the heart of Bath. The prestigious neighbourhood was once featured in an episode of Inspector Morse, the film Vanity Fair and actor Nicolas Cage owns one, although we didn't catch a glimpse of him the day I was there!

The fourth and final day of our trip was spent in Cheltenham. Sadly it was raining quite hard that day. However, we consoled ourselves with some retail therapy. There are some wonderful shops in Cheltenham. It is also famous for Cheltenham Ladies' College, a college attended by one of my schoolfriends.

I've now back at home again. Glad to be back for a rest! I went back to work on Wednesday and it was busy, it now feels like I've never been away! I'll be posting some photos of my trip to share with you all very soon. Watch this space!

PLEASE NOTE:- The Windsor Castle photo shown above is courtesy of www.freefoto.com as we had some heavy rain the day we visited Windsor, it made taking some good photos a bit difficult!

NAOMI'S AWAY

Well it's that time of year again, I'm heading off down South on holiday tomorrow so this will be my last post before I go away. Like many people here, I'll be holidaying in England this year. I'm going to be spending a few days touring around the Windsor and Bath area. Fingers crossed for good weather! Hopefully I'll be able to get some good photos to post on here.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my friends Kyle and Svet from
Windows to Russia for the great little vacation banner they made for me. Windows to Russia is a wonderful site and well worth a visit. It's full of very interesting and informative posts and gives a great insight into life in Russia by a couple who live there. Kyle is originally from the States and moved to Russia after meeting his Russian wife Svet. Kyle and Svet also maintain several other sites too; Windows to Russia - Video, Windows to Russia - News, Windows to Russia - Sports and Windows to Russia - CCCP. They are all great sites and well worth a visit.

I'll be back posting again very soon. See you when I get back!

JULY 7TH - THE NATION REMEMBERS

A memorial to the victims of the 2005 July 7th bombings was unveiled in London today. Situated in Hyde Park, the memorial consists of 52 stainless steel pillars, representing the 52 lives that were sadly lost that day. Prince Charles spoke of a day of “cruel and mindless carnage”. It was certainly that. Whilst Boris Johnson, the Major of London stated that we would never forget the tragic events that took place that day. They are etched in all our hearts and minds forever. Let us not forget those poor people who were injured and killed in these deadly and mindless acts of terrorism, which left 52 people dead and many hundreds badly injured. The memories of that terrible day will stay with us all forever. Our hearts go out to all those poor people who were injured and to those who sadly lost their lives that day and to the families they left behind. May they never be forgotten.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - BRITAIN'S GREATEST NATIONAL TREASURE

William Shakespeare has been voted Britain’s greatest national treasure. The Bard beat Buckingham Palace into second place, whilst fish and chips came in third, just ahead of Buckingham Palace at number 4. The writer of such famous works as “Hamlet” and “Romeo and Juliet”, Shakespeare has always been regarded as a British icon. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Apart from writing some of the most powerful tragedies, he has also written some of the funniest comedies ever to appear on an English stage. His plays are classics and feature as set works by many examination boards here. I enjoyed studying Shakepeare's plays at school and remember seeing "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" performed at the RSC as a student. It was excellent. "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare" containing all his plays still takes pride of place on my bookshelf. Much of the beauty of the Bard’s work lies in the language more than the actual plot. Many of Shakespeare’s plays contain finely crafted passages. “Some are born great others achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them”, in the words of Malvolio a character from Twelfth Night, one of the Bard’s most famous plays. Well according to the results of a poll by Mivvi icecream makers, now it’s official William Shakespeare is the greatest of them all!

EU RELAXES RULES ON SALES OF WONKY FRUIT & VEG

For the first time in over 20 years, the EU has relaxed its rules regarding misshapen fruit and vegetables. In the next few weeks, nobbly carrots, bendy bananas and curly cucumbers will be returning to a supermarket near you! In years gone by the EU made a rule (at the food industry’s request) that only the best looking fruit and vegetables would appear on our supermarket shelves and dinner tables. Any produce not up to standard would be discarded by suppliers and thrown away. At a time when the government is encouraging consumers to try and cut down on the amount of food being wasted and trying to reduce landfill, it certainly makes sense to sell misshapen fruit and vegetables rather than throwing them away. Farmers will now be able to use more of their crop. Many people forget that apart from being wasteful, throwing away food damages the environment too. The majority of waste food goes into landfill, producing methane, a greenhouse gas much more powerful than carbon dioxide.

Also at a time when food prices are soaring in Britain, selling wonky shaped fruit and veg gives consumers a choice and a chance to save some money when doing the weekly shop. They can either buy perfectly shaped fruit and vegetables at a slightly higher price or choose their misshapen alternatives at a fraction of the cost. The shape of the fruit and vegetables certainly does nothing to affect their flavour or the amount of vitamins and minerals they contain. They still count towards one of your five a day. I’m sure they will prove very popular in these recession-hit times, when shoppers are looking for a cheap and satisfying way to feed their families healthily.

POSTCARDS OF THE QUEEN - NO. 1 SOUVENIR

At a time when millions of foreign holidaymakers are flocking to Britain for their Summer vacation, gift and souvenir shops are gearing up for the holiday rush as eager tourists come in search of novel souvenirs to take back home. However according to the results of a recent poll, by far the most popular souvenir amongst foreign tourists is postcards of the Queen. The cards featuring her Majesty came in at No. 1 in a poll by B.A.A. at London Heathrow Airport, closely followed by Union Jack T-shirts and badges at No. 2 and replicas of Big Ben at No. 3. She may be in her eighties but The Queen is still as popular as she has always been and is one of the U.K.’s best ambassadors. She represents everything that is good about Britain and it’s not surprising that foreign tourists want to take Royal postcards home as a fitting reminder of their trip over here.

ENGLAND MY ENGLAND - QUINTESSENTIAL ENGLISH MUSIC

There is surely no more quintessentially English sound than that of the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge, and the true beauty of its unaccompanied voices can now be experienced through the new album,
‘England my England’, which is due to be released by EMI Classics on 6th July 2009.

This is intensely moving and profoundly beautiful music. Don’t be surprised if you are moved to tears upon first hearing this album. The Choir of King’s College are definitely one of the jewels in England’s crown and this album showcases their talents beautifully. You can almost imagine you are there in King’s College Chapel listening to them, as their voices invoke images of serenity and peace in a church or cathedral setting.

This essential English collection opens and closes with coronation music. “Zadok the Priest” was written for the crowning of George II in 1727, whilst “I was glad” was composed for the coronation of Edward VII in 1902, and they have both been sung at coronation ceremonies ever since. Listeners will recognize many of the pieces on the album, partly due to their association with key English history events. John Ireland’s “Greater love hath no man” is often heard on Remembrance Sunday. Sir John Tavener’s “Song for Athene” made a powerful impression at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales; whilst John Rutter’s small-scale, personal “Requiem” touched a wider public following the attacks of 11 September 2001. Queen Mary’s 1694 birthday ode, “Come ye sons of art away”, composed by Purcell, together with the music he wrote for her funeral nine months later, “Thou knowest Lord” is also featured. Many favourite hymns and well known psalms sung to Anglican chant, feature on the album, sandwiched amongst both ancient and modern motets. In addition the album features a choral version of “Nimrod”, “Lux aeterna” composed by Edward Elgar, which epitomizes the music of national remembrance.

All in all listening to this album is an intensely beautiful and very moving musical experience. I can thoroughly recommend it.

GORDON BROWN TO APPEAR ON SONGS OF PRAISE

As Gordon Brown’s popularity continues to sink to an all-time low, he is hoping to re-connect with voters by appearing on “Songs of Praise”. It seems when times get tough Mr Brown, like many others, is turning to religion. Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd was on Mr Brown’s list of chosen hymns. He could certainly do with some divine intervention at the moment! The programme usually features famous churchgoers talking about their favourite hymns. Although Gordon’s father was a Church of Scotland minister, unlike his predecessor Tony Blair, he has never been known as a regular churchgoer. Gordon will be featured in a special edition of the programme which focuses on the subject of courage, something he once wrote a book about. The programme shows Gordon and tv presenter Sally Magnusson discussing the importance of courage. It is thought that Mr Brown’s appearance on the show will help to boost his public image and show him in a more human light. He certainly made an interesting choice of hymns. It’s quite ironic that one of Gordon’s chosen hymns is “Fight the Good Fight”, especially since he has had quite a fight on his hands recently, fighting for his political life in the wake of the recent Westminster MP’s expenses scandal. Well never mind, chin up Gordon! The D-ream song, “Things can only get better” comes to mind!

NEW AD AGAINST BENEFIT THIEVES

As many of you know, working in an office, I quite often get funny emails sent to my inbox. This one made me laugh and I thought it was quite appropriate, given the current spate of MP's claiming for second home benefits for the rest of us to pay for and generally trying to squeeze as much money out of the already severely cash strapped economy as they possibly can! As many of us struggle to pay the mortgage on our one and only home and keep a roof over our heads, the recent revelation of MP's expenses claims is certainly quite an eye opener! The Department of Work and Pensions Fraud Team could do to keep a close watch on the lot of them! I'm sure they'd have their work cut out!

QUEEN UNVEILS ORGANIC VEGETABLE GARDEN AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

The credit crunch has seen a massive rise in allotments as many Britons want to live the “Good Life” and grow their own vegetables. Now the Queen is following in the footsteps of Britons everywhere by having her own organic vegetable plot at her Buckingham Palace gardens. Her Majesty is also following in the footsteps of new First Lady Michelle Obama who recently created a vegetable garden at The White House. The Queen, who attends the Chelsea Flower Show every year, has always had a keen interest in gardens. Vegetables are now growing alongside ornamental plants in the royal gardens, for the first time since the Second World War. Liquid seaweed is being used to cultivate them rather than chemicals. The Queen and Prince Philip will soon be able to savour the fruits of their gardeners’ labours as a range of produce including beetroot, carrots, runner beans and leeks are grown and cultivated in their gardens. The Palace gardens are regularly used for Royal family celebrations and official entertaining and are the scene of the Queen’s annual Summer garden parties. They were recently opened to the public for the first time in 200 years. For £20 a ticket, visitors can now wander round what has been described as “a large oasis” in the centre of London. The gardens are the largest of their kind in the capital and apart from the many varieties of trees and wild flowers, tourists can also view the Palace tennis court where Fred Perry played against George VI in the 30’s. The garden also boasts the oldest private helicopter pad in central London. Public tours run in April, May and June, when the Queen is not in residence and are limited to twenty five visitors at a time. All monies from the tours go towards the upkeep of the gardens.

Britons have often turned their backs to the land in times of crisis, so it is no surprise that allotments have become so popular in the current recession-hit times. Millions of Britons became vegetable gardeners during World War Two, in a bid to feed their families healthily in times of rationing. Allotments were first created in Victorian times to feed factory workers and encourage them to eat healthily. However in modern times, allotments have now crossed the class barriers, providing a relaxing, healthy and money saving pastime for today’s stressed workers. Certainly there is nothing more rewarding than growing, harvesting and eating your own fruit and vegetables. They are also much healthier than their supermarket counterparts which are often full of pesticides. You can hear more about the Royal allotment by clicking on the player shown below:-

PRINCE PHILIP CELEBRATES 88TH BIRTHDAY

Another person celebrating a birthday this week is Prince Philip. The Prince celebrated his 88th birthday on Wednesday and like the Queen, shows no signs of slowing down and is as busy as ever. A member of the Greek Royal family, Prince Philip was born in 1921 and has been married to The Queen since 1947. The couple have four children and eight grandchildren. The Duke of Edinburgh is only the fifth consort to a reigning Queen in British history and gave up his navy career to support the then Princess Elizabeth when she became Queen. On 18th April this year, Prince Philip also became the longest serving consort in British history.

Both the Queen and Prince Philip are great-great grandchildren of Queen Victoria. Like his eldest son Prince Charles, Prince Philip takes a great interest in the environment, using an LPG powered taxi cab around London to attend engagements. Apart from being an active supporter of a wide range of charities, the Duke of Edinburgh has also founded his own Duke of Edinburgh national and international award scheme, to introduce young people to new challenges and experiences. The scheme has proved to be extremely successful both here and abroad. Prince Philip undertakes a number of Royal engagements himself, in addition to accompanying the Queen on all her overseas tours and visits and on some engagements in this country too. Apart from carrying the title of The Duke of Edinburgh, he also carries the titles of The Earl of Merioneth and Baron Greenwich.