Need I say anything more?

LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW! LET IT SNOW!

No thanks... I've had enough now!

Treacherous roads, panic buying at supermarkets, untreated pavements, empty grit bins, frozen car doors and locks etc, etc.

But it could be worse as you can see by these wintry pictures!

Why I love Brucie And Elton.

Oh dear, I think I'm going to regret this posting, and ruin my somewhat intellectual reputation (I have published blogs about poetry and my intense love for Classic FM, honest), but here we go.............I actually enjoyed the finals of Strictly Come Dancing and the X Factor (oh God what have I done?), but for very different reasons.

Ok, Brucie is tending to jabber on now, but he is pivotal in retaining the sense of old style variety/music hall show culture. But the show is an "honest" one, where actual people have to demonstrate their ability; there's no miming, there's no orchestrated politics, it is what it is, pure physical commitment played out" live" on stage with a fantastic "live" house band! And when the results are announced, all the participants are honourable and celebrate their win or loss positively. No back stabbing, no jealousy and poisonous rhetoric. You're left with a sense of admiration for all of them (and those dresses!)

Whereas the X Factor, well where do I start? I really admire Simon's professional entrepreneurial spirit, and the fact that the show gives normal hopeful people a chance to go on TV and onto potential fame, and I enjoy watching the spectrum of ability (the early stages are hysterical!) but that's where my admiration stops.

I watched a beautiful excerpt at the weekend of Elton John singing live his first hit "Your Song". Pure genius talent, an amalgamation of tender lyrics and a beautiful melody. His future success and reputation have been based on his musical ability to work hard and to create fantastic masterpieces. He wasn't hustled onto a" boot-camp" and made to sing someone else's hits in front of 4 talentless, meaningless so called "personalities", He wasn't exploited by the media and put under so much pressure for the first month of exposure that he had flu and fits. He got to where is his because of his "honest"talent.

The X Factor is an orchestrated media circus acted out on the back of hideous and made up stories. Have you seen the Cowellesque manouvered headlines about some of his already vulnerable contestants, "*******'s grandmother mother is a prostitute" just to raise audience figures? Lovely.

"Nice to see you, to see you, nice" any day.

Tinsel and tantrums. It’s got to be the Reception Nativity play

I have been to watch my 4 year old son’s nativity play this week. Not just once, but twice dear reader. You needed two viewings to fully grasp the plot, as Nativity plays ain’t what they used to be; no longer your standard M&J in stable with baby J, angel G and a few wise men popping by on the way to the pub to say hi. Oh no (or should that be ‘Lo’) they’re much more complicated than that. This years was all from the animals’ perspective; kind of Dr Doolittle meets the holy birth with 10 tons of tinsel thrown in for good measure. The seemingly endless succession of animals kept receiving apparently from no-where a frankly random selection of gifts including leg warmers for the sheep, a bow tie for the cockerel and a silky ribbon for the pigs' tails - genius.

Nativity plays are just about my favourite type of show, Christmas or otherwise, and this one didn’t disappoint. We had a piglet throwing a tantrum and refusing to either speak or sing for the entire play (might have had something to do with the fact that his mum had put him in pink tights and ballet pumps if you ask me), a shouty shepherd, a winking sheep, a saucy angel who kept pulling down her dress and enough tinsel to reopen Woolworths.

As for my son (top left of the picture), he had been given the very important role of "twinkling star in the night sky no 12 of 20". His teacher in an eminently sensible move in my opinion (he can be somewhat of a wriggler at these sort of gigs) put him at the back away from the main action. True to form he spent the majority of the time counting things he saw on the ceiling, yawning and every now and again letting his tinsel headband slip over his eyes superhero visor style and then looking from side to side, no doubt zapping imaginary baddies as he did it. Occasionally he’d join in with a heartfelt ‘cockadoodle do’ and he was to be fair very good in the action songs. In other words he was absolutely perfect.

Happy nearly Christmas everyone

Work Christmas Parties (ii)

Oh what a night...

A champagne fuelled sleigh ride from Tunbridge Wells to an alpine apres ski party in Val de B' Attersea.

Slick and highly professional event management from start to finish: 8.00pm on the dot giant bells project onto the side wall of the bar area and begin to chime; the whole side wall rises up to reveal a massive dining area with walls and ceiling covered in twinkling, ever changing colour, lights. 1500-2000 people at tables around a central stage/dance floor area.

Fantastically choreographed dancing, acrobatics and performances before we eat and between courses. How do those girls lift their legs quite so high - and can men do it too? How did that guy get up the pole and hang there? Beautifully cooked food for that number of people served impeccably to each of us on the table with perfect timing. Great mix of music for everyone's tastes. Plus dodgem cars, casino and ice bar if you wanted it. And of course the great entertainment to be had from people watching. Enough alcohol to sink a battleship but no trouble - low key, but ever present, security guys gently diffusing any slightly over-enthusiastic punters with a lightness of touch.

And then driven to our doors by a minibus driver called James.

'Home James and don't spare the horses'.

Work Christmas Parties

I love work Christmas parties! Everyone is in good spirits and we all have more time for each other. The buzz and excitement of dressing up and playing games fills the building and everyone is wearing a smile. Lots of food, drink and laughter awaits us all and this year we have the thrill of fire eaters, dodgems and a casino to entertain us.

The only down side to the party is the journey home. Too much alcohol on a mini bus from London to Tunbridge Wells could be painful. A word of caution to myself as I don't travel too well, "Drink too much and you'll be sick."

Oops

Now there really is no excuse for this awful lack of sense checking courtesy of the Daily Mail website last week.......

It's extraordinary that in an industry where proofing and accuracy is so important that such a fundamental error has slipped through the net.

Just goes to show stepping back and taking a bit of time to actually observe what you are creating is time very well spent!